To Have and To Hold
by lola.c.prior
Summary: (Formerly 'Memories) When Tris Prior wakes up in the infirmary with Tobias by her side, all she can remember is being kneed in the groin and a certain Dauntless member licking his lips. When she finds out she's pregnant, what secrets will be revealed throughout the compound? And more important, how will Tobias react? Rated T-M. OC and possibly OOC. I don't own Divergent.
1. Chapter 1

**When Tris Prior wakes up in the infirmary with Tobias by her side, all she can remember is being kneed in the gut and a certain Dauntless member licking his lips. When she finds out she's pregnant, what secrets will be revealed throughout the compound? And more important, how will Tobias react?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Divergent, sadly...**

* * *

**Tris POV:**

I wake up panting and sweating. I try to sit up, but a familiar masculine pushes me down.

"Tris," he says, with his instructor voice. "You're hurt."

I look down. And sure enough, I'm in a hospital gown with bruises showing through the light fabric.

Tobias tucks a piece of hair behind my ear. He pulls his face down to mine, making the conversation immediately feel intimate. He whispers gently, "I'm so glad you're awake." His lips barely brush mine before a nurse in black scrubs walks in.

"Aww, Tris. Good to see you awake."

I nod. "Umm, out of curiosity, how long was I out? Four seemed nervous when I woke up. Until he saw my face that is."

Tobias sticks his tongue out at me.

The nurse looks down at her clipboard. "Let's see, three days since you got here."

My eyes nearly shoot out of their sockets. "_Three days_?! _Three_ days? Are you sure? How am I even alive?"

"Tris, calm down." The nurse sits down, and wheels her spinney-stool towards the hospital bed that I lay in. "Now, that's normal for someone about your size to be knocked out like that for. We can assume that the attacker used the chemical chloroform; when we took a sample of your blood though..."

I drone out the nurse and think about that night.

_*Flashback*_

"Tris! Don't forget about our date tonight!" Tobias shouts as Christina and I dump our trays of leftover food scraps and head out of the Pit.

I turn my head back and flash a grin. "Never in a million years," I respond slyly.

"He _so_ wants to marry you," Christina says.

"How can you tell?" I ask.

"Psh, please Tris. I know these things. I got one of those palm readers at Candor to read mine when I was 15."

"And?" I ask expectantly.

She shrugs. "All he said was that people would seek me for certain advice. And to choose wisely when it was time for me to choose a faction."

"Huh," I start. "A Factionless man told me the same thing."

"Maybe every future-Dauntless is told that," she says.

I look at her, and say sarcastically. "Yeah, a guy told Four in a baby-voice, 'Choose wisely little boy.' As if!"

Christina and I start laughing. So hard that I bump into someone's chest. A minute later I'm looking into Eric's cold eyes. He winks at me. "Watch where you're going, Tris."

I roll my eyes.

Christina squeals. "He was totally looking at you Tris!"

"What? No. Well, not in that way."

"Yes in that way."

"No; Eric's a creepy dude. There's no way _that's_ possible."

She shrugs. "Whatever. For now, let's just focus on how I'm gonna do your hair for tonight."

* * *

Six hours and three bottles of hairspray later, I walk out of Christina's apartment confidently. I swing open the doors to the Pit and go to the table for two that Tobias reserved. I sit down and look around. Funny how the Chasm's so violent, yet so calming.

Five minutes after Tobias says that he was going to come, he's still a no-show. I cross my legs, trying not to crumple Christina's outfit so much.

Ten minutes after that, he still hasn't come.

I get up and stretch my legs. My stomach rumbles just as I get to the Railing. As much as I love the feeling of being sprayed by the Chasm's refreshing waters, I turn back and order an order of French fries. A member I don't recognize hands it to me.

"Thanks," I say. Then I turn back and walk towards our special table.

But I bump into the same person as six hours ago.

"Tris, Tris, Tris. Better watch where you're going or you're gonna end up doing something you weren't planning on doing," Eric says. I try to turn back, but his arms have mine locked. He must be planning on kidnapping me. Then I see a flash of lust in his eyes and a smirk on his lips. He licks them and looks at my body, where any woman doesn't feel comfortable having men looking at. I gasp and Eric knees my chest. I crumple to the ground and the fries drop. My head hits the ground and all goes black.

_*End of Flashback*_

The nurse keeps rambling on and on about my blood samples.

I gasp and she pauses at "leukocytes." She looks on at me, as does Tobias.

"Four," I say. "I remember."

He nods, as if telling me to continue.

"You never showed up for our date."

Four puts his head in his hands. "Alisa, would you mind stepping out for a minute?"

She nods and walks out, leaving the stool that she was sitting in spinning.

"Tris," he starts.

I huff and fall back into the pillows on my bed when he doesn't continue.

"Tris, just listen."

I don't respond.

"Tris-"

"I'm listening!" I respond hoarsely.

"Tris." He gulps. "The reason I was late was because I, was, well, trying to pick out a decent ring."

"But where? You know that in Dauntless the cool rings with black onyx stones only come once you sign the papers."

He pulls out a simple band. "When you were out, I got it engraved. This was your mother's."

Tobias shows me the inside. I sit up, and he presses our foreheads together. The inside says 'Tobias and Beatrice Forever.' I smile. This ring will connect me to my past.

Tobias smiles at me. "I know it's early, so think of this as a promise ring, not as much as an engagement ring."

"It's perfect," I coo.

Tobias slips the ring on my finger and kisses the top of hand, just as a doctor is walking into the room.

"Aww, Tris. I'm Dr. Everest." I shake his hand. Tobias pulls back a little and sits on the other side of me, holding tightly to my hand.

Then Dr. Everest continues, "Alisa warned me you were awake," he jokes.

I smile. It's nice to know that someone is laughing in here.

Then he looks to his clipboard and frowns. "But I'm not sure that she mentioned other news."

"What other news?" Tobias asks. His grip on my hand tightens.

"Well, Tris," the doctor says slowly. "It appears you are pregnant."

* * *

"How could this have happened?" Tobias asks. He paces the room, after letting Dr. Everest out and closing the door. "We never-"

"Tobias," I whisper. "Do you know what happened that night?"

He shakes his head.

The knot in my brow tightens.

"Tell me," he pleads.

"Well," I start slowly. "I was waiting for you by that table near the Chasm. I ordered some fries for us and when I got back, I bumped into Eric. He said something about watching where you're going. Then he looked at me. He smiled and kneed my gut and I blanked out. But it was the was he looked at me, Tobias. Like he liked what he saw."

Tobias looks at me, without blinking. Then he smashes me in a bone-crushing hug. "Oh, Tris," he whispers. "Do you think he, you know?"

"I don't know, Tobias, I really don't know."

* * *

**A/N So how was that? I know I'll continue, but I need feedback! Thx :D**


	2. Chapter 2

**Alisa (The Nurse) POV:**

After I see Dr. Everest walk out of Tris' room, I know exactly what he told Tris.

"Dr. Ever-" I start.

He cuts me off. "Alisa, I told them."

"But-"

"They deserved to know."

"But here's the weird thing," I whisper, "Follow me."

He obliges and we walk down the long hallway and turn a corner. No one else ever comes here. So we're safe now.

"What is it?" Dr. Everest whispers, even though no one would hear us.

"Okay, so I remember asking Four the 'when's-the-last-time-they-did-it' question. He looked at me funny, saying they never did.

But what's even more weird was that when Tris was brought into the Urgent Care center, she had bruises and scars all over her, like someone had-"

"Beaten her," he finishes.

I nod. "So...what should we do?"

He shrugs. "If someone raped her-if they even did-we have to find out who."

"So we should go to Max."

He nods. "But ask Tris what she knows first."

"Are you even sure that this is true?"

Dr. Everest shrugs. "It's just a hunch. But hunches aren't necessarily always good."

I gulp. Dr. Everest starts walking back. He gestures for me to follow. I reluctantly do.

When we get to the front desk, he smiles at me. "You've got a kind heart for caring about Tris, Alisa," he tells me.

"Thanks." I grin back. "As do you, Dr. Everest."

"Call me Jim."

I keep my grin full-on. "See you soon,_ Jim_." Then I gently go up to Tris' room. I take a deep breath, but before I knock, I look at my reflection in the tiny window in her door. My hair's a mess. It's been a long day. So I put my ever-present clipboard in-between my knees and tighten my ponytail. Then I hold my chin up and knock.

"You can come in," a manly voice says.

I push open the door. It creaks in response.

"Hello, Tris. Four." I start. But I see Tris enveloped in Four's arms. Tears are streaming down her face, and I can tell that Four's is the same, even though I can't see it. So I smiles weakly. "I'll be back soon," I say, nearly whispering. I don't want to ruin their moment. I pull the door shut lightly. Thankfully, it doesn't creak.

"Michael," I say, once I walk back to the front desk.

He looks up at me. "Yes, Alisa?"

"I'll need some extra-soft tissues, a balloon, and an extra-big piece of chocolate cake, if you don't mind."

"No ma'am," he says. Then he gets up and walks in the direction towards the Pit. I sigh and sit down in his swivel chair.

A minute later Michael returns. "Here you go," he says.

"Thanks."

"Anything else?"

"Actually, would you get the door?"

He nods. I put the cake and balloon in one hand, and hug my clipboard to my chest while I grasp the tissues with my fingers. I tug my chin up again and walk through the door confidently.

"Thank you Michael. That will be all."

He smiles and closes the door gently. It creaks this time.

I smile at him through the window in the door, then turn my attention to Tris. "Nice to see you again, Tris."

She smiles weakly. Four grasps her hand, like it's the only thing he has left of her.

I put the stuff in my hands on a table near the hospital bed and tie the balloon to one of the openings in the bed. "Well, I'm here for you daily-check-up. It's time to change those bandages."

Tris' face goes white and she looks down to her stomach.

I sigh and wheel the spinney-stool over to her. I sit down in it and grasp her other hand. "Tris," I say, losing my strict-nurse voice and using my nice-Alisa voice. "It'll be alright. I know that Four will support you all the way through it."

She closes her eyes, but a tear still sneaks past. It slowly crawls down her face. I can't imagine what she must be feeling now. "But, that's the thing. I'm not sure that-"

"Shh." I whisper. "Tris, I know. And it'll be hard, but you'll get through it."

"But, I'm not sure that..." Then she breaks down in tears.

"Tris, I know. And we'll go to Max about it."

She looks up to me with her big, innocent blue-gray eyes, tears threatening to fall down her face. And they do. So I gesture out my arms. Tris bites her lip, pondering for a moment. Then she hides her face in my shoulder. I wrap my arms around her, rubbing circles in her back. Then I look to Four.

"Who?" I mouth.

"Not now," he responds.

I sigh and nod. "Tris, I'm gonna need to change that bandage now."

She looks to Four and he nods. She sighs heavily and lays down in the bed, her head surrounded by pillows.

"Hey," I say, "It's not so bad. They'll be healed soon. Besides, I snuck you some cake." I grin.

She smiles. But Four frowns. "Are you sure that's the best idea?"

I quickly shush him. "She's had nothing to eat for the past three days. And you should learn fast-pregnant women around here love cake. Besides, stress is worse for her baby than cake." His eyes narrow at the cake, but he nods. I wonder if he noticed that I said 'her baby' and not 'your baby'. I hope he didn't.

Tris soon finishes the cake, and I motion for Four to turn around. "She may be your girlfriend, but I'm changing her battle wounds and you'd better look away," I say, as I place the now-empty plate on the bedside table.

Four blushes madly as Tris snickers. I smile. "I'm gonna need you to roll onto your side, honey."

She does and I soon am re-dressing her wounds. I put salve from Erudite on it and put a fresh Ace-bandage on it. As I tie Tris' gown close, I smile. "Well, Tris, your wound is looking very good. Four, you can turn back now." He does and I sit down and write the treatment notes as I tell them about her wound. "So, your wound is looking much better. It's been treated properly, and now there's only a few bruises left on your ribs. In a few days, you should be able to walk and move back into your apartment."

Tris smiles. "Thank you."

"Anytime. But before I leave for my lunch break, I want you to know that you can trust me. And Dr. Everest wants to know what you remember happening. I know Four brought you here panicking, but can you tell me anything else?"

She gulps and looks down.

"Tris," I say, as I take her hand warmly. "It may be hard to talk about, but that may help you. And we want to help you to the best of our abilities."

Tris sighs. "W-well, all I remember is walking into the Pit and waiting for Four, so I ordered some French fries, and when I got back, Eric kneed me and I blanked out."

"Well, good news is that all he did was make you bruise and swell." Then I look down. "How are you feeling? And fatigue? Nausea?"

She shakes her head.

"Well, be prepared for morning sickness. First trimester seems to be the hardest on most women around here."

Tris nods solemnly.

"Tris, this may be embarrassing, but can you tell me who you think the father is? Of the baby?"

Tris looks to Four. He nods for her to speak and she soon does. "E-eric." Then she breaks down. Her whole body quakes in the mass of tears.

Four immediately goes to hug her. I stand up to leave. "Alisa?"

"Yes?" I turn back, surprised.

"A word." He looks back to Tris. "Outside," he gestures.

"Sure."

He kisses Tris' forehead and leads me outside. The door creaks. Four checks to make sure that no one can hear us, then his expression turns dark. "Tell no one."

I remember that voice from when I was a transfer from Erudite, all alone in Dauntless, which seemed so big three years ago. All my transfer friends had a crush on Four, then a year later, Tris came along. They've been perfect for each other ever since.

"_Alisa_," Four hisses. His voice brings me back to reality. "Are you listening?"

"Yeah." I groan. "No. Are you crazy? Dr. Everest is on to Tris. He knows that she was raped. He saw her bruises. Now he wants to tell Max."

"No."

"You can't stop him."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Maybe." I pause. The silence is almost deafening. Then: "No. I don't know. You're Four. Perfect Four. But just let us help Tris. She deserves it."

He sinks down to the ground. I sit down next to him.

Four buries his face in his hands. "Are you fucking kidding? Tris doesn't deserve any of this! None! She-we never did it."

"I know."

"It was in her fear landscape. She would never have done it if she could have chose so. But I loved her so much. And she loved me."

"Loved?"

"Loved. Loves. What am I saying? I wish little Tris was mine. It would make me so happy, just thinking it makes me smile." But his eyes are fierce. Jealous? Fear? They look fearful, but Perfect Four would never be fearful.

At least not the way everyone thinks.

Then Tris' door creaks. "Four?" she croaks.

Four and I immediately stand up. 'Tris," we say simultaneously. "You shouldn't be up." Then Four picks her up and places her in her hospital bed, her wincing the whole time.

"Two days," I say. "Then you can dance around the Pit all you like."

Four squeezes her hand. Then he looks at me, and puts his finger to his lips. I groan and respond. "Fine."

He smiles in response.

"Have a good day Tris," I say. Then I leave the room and shut the door behind me. It doesn't creak this time.

As I go to check-out for my lunch break, Jim stops me.

"Any news?"

I sigh. "Four swore me to secrecy."

"_Alisa_."

"_Jim_," I mock. Then I turn serious. "If Tris doesn't want to tell, then we won't tell."

"Well, then how's she feeling?"

I shrug. "Pretty good, for the most part."

"That's good."

I nod and stare at my black boots.

Jim lifts my chin up. "I know I already said this, but I really appreciate you doing this."

"Tris deserves it."

"Yes," he whispers in my ear. His voice tickles my throat.

"You're not from Dauntless originally, were you?"

"No," he whispers back. "Amity."

"Fantastic," I manage out. Then I'm overwhelmed by a passionate kiss, right on the lips.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N **

**Happy Birthday, chocolatedauntlesscake! I got you this new chapter! :D**

* * *

**Alisa POV: **

I pull away a minute later, gasping. Where in the world did that come from? But the crazy thing is that I liked it. So I pull Jim's face down for more. This time he pulls away.

"You should get to your break," he breaths.

"B-bu..." I start to stutter, but I eventually give up. My breath is being taken away by my panting. Yes, you heard me. Kissing is tiring.

"Ssh," he tells me, as he puts a finger to my lips. Then before I know it. he's gone. I blink, rub my eyes, and look up and down the hallway.

But find nothing.

I touch my lips, still feeling the buzz of his touch on them. I smile and clock out of work.

Before I get to the Pit, I run to my apartment to change out of my scrubs; even if my break if only for an hour, these things get sweaty fast. But as I pull out my keys from my purse, a familiar voice pierces the air.

"Hello, Alisa."

"Eric," I spit out. "What do _you_ want?"

"Now, that's no way to treat your leader. Or your boyfriend."

I groan. "We've been over this. I'm no longer your girlfriend. We're strictly friends now. And I ain't sleeping with you."

"Come on baby," he moans.

"No. And especially not after you cheated with Laren."

"That was a mistake. A one-night stand. And she got me drunk, I swear."

"Then why did I hear you telling your friends about how 'sensational she kisses' at the bar?!"

"Ooh, feisty. I've always liked that about you."

I groan again. "No. N-O," I spell out for him. "But there's something you should know."

"What's that?" he smiles.

"Ew! It's just a stupid rumor that's been going around the infirmary. Follow me." I lead him just a few feet to my apartment, then unlock the door. I take off my shoes and shut the door.

"Ooh, must be dangerous if you close the door," Eric teases.

I glare at him. He shuts up quickly. "As I was saying before you oh-so-rudely interrupted, there's a rumor going around. And it's that you got Tris pregnant."

Eric's face has a flash of anger on it, before he covers it up with confusion. "How could anyone-I mean-why would anyone even think that?"

"Oh, maybe...maybe because it's true!" I shout back to him. "Eric, you don't need to pretend to be confused. Tris told me that you're the father."

Eric sighs and sits down on my couch. Surprising myself, I sit next to him. "Fine," he says weakly.

"What's that?" I cup my hand around my ear, gesturing for him to repeat what he just said.

Eric huffs. "Fine. You win. It's true. I slept with Tris."

I smirk. "But that's not the only rumor."

"Oh?"

"The other part of the rumor is that you raped her."

He sighs. "Now that part is not true."

"Really?" I ask, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "Now that doesn't sound very likely."

"Alisa, cut the crap. I may be vicious, but I would not rape Tris."

"Because you love her so much?"

"Alisa, stop it!"

"No, Eric! You 'cut the crap!' Yes, you are stupid enough to do that! Say it; say you raped Four's girlfriend. It's true, and we both know it."

"Fine." he grumbles. "I raped Four's girlfriend."

I smirk again. "Four won't be very happy, you know."

His face twists to fear-but only for a second, then he straightens his shoulders. "Oh, I know, and I'll be prepared."

I burst out laughing. "Uh huh. Like that's possible. We both know that you won't. Four will skin you alive, and no one will bother to do anything." I stand up, and Eric follows me to the door. I open it, making it obvious that he should leave now.

But he turns to face me.

Before he can say anything, I put my hand on his shoulder. "Just watch out for yourself."

Eric looks like he's gonna say something, but then he closes his mouth and just smiles. "Thanks, Alisa."

I snort. "Anything for a friend."

I hug him, and he wraps his arms around me.

Eric leans in towards me.

"Ew, no! And that's not what I meant!"

Then he kisses my cheek and runs out the door.

"Eric! You get back here!"

But he just turns and flashes me a dirty smile before heading in the direction of the Pit. Let's just hope he doesn't find Four there...

* * *

A few minutes later, I sink my teeth into a burger, looking around the Pit for Jim. No sign of him, so far. Then a warm body slides in next to me.

I turn around, once that someone puts a ginormous hand on my back. "Hey, Jim."

"Hey, Alisa," he says. His fingers rub small circles on my back, making me want to grow even closer to him.

"Hey," I say back weakly.

And he notices. "What's the matter-"

"Who's the new guy?" Eric says from out of nowhere.

I turn around and see him leaning back into his chair.

"First off," I start in a way that's matter-of-factly. "You're gonna fall. And second, meet Jim."

"Eric," Jim whispers under his breath. Then he turns to me. "It's time for you to get back to work Alisa."

I stand up, bringing my tray with me.

"Where's the fire?" Eric jokes. "Don't leave so soon, Alisa."

I groan. "Shut it, Eric."

I don't bother to see how he takes me back-talking him. Instead, I just take Jim's hand and let him lead me away.

"What was that all about?" Jim asks, once we are out of Eric's ear-shot.

I dump the rest of my burger in the new compost bin that the Amity recently installed and shrug. "He cheated on me and has been trying to get back with me ever since. So far, it hasn't worked."

Jim puts his arm protectively around my shoulder, and looks in Eric's direction.

He probably wants to show Eric that I'm Jim's now. "So," Jim says, as he guides me towards the doors out of the Pit. "How long has Eric been nagging at you?"

"A few months now," I say shrugging.

He sighs. "Alisa, you can't let him do that to you."

I pull myself away from him. "Listen, I don't know if you understand, but this isn't Amity. I can do things for myself."

"I'm just trying to help," he says gently.

"And I'm telling you I don't need it." I cross my arms, and stare right into his eyes. "All my life, I've been doing things on my own."

"...And now you don't need to," he summarizes for me.

Then Jim kisses my lips gently and walks off in the direction towards the Infirmary.

Why does everyone keep doing that to me today?

* * *

**Tobias POV:**

"Tobias," Tris says sleepily.

I'm immediately filled with concern. "Yes, Tris?"

"Are you mad?"

I'm shocked. I understand why she would ask that, but she says it so subtly. Like she's okay with it and just wants an honest answer.

"Well?" Tris' voice brings me back to reality.

I try to pass the time, so I take her hand and stroke it. It soon becomes limp, and I know she must be asleep.

Then: "Hack! Hack!"

"Tris?" I can already feel my brow crinkle in worry.

"_Four_, tell me," she demands easily, as if there's nothing in her way.

As if.

I sigh. I knew this was coming; I knew we couldn't live in fear of what everyone thinks of us forever. Because we're Dauntless.

So I clear my throat. "Tris, I'm not mad. If anything, I'm mad at Eric. And I'm worried about you. If Eric finds out that people are saying that Little Tris is his, he'll try and kill it, to prove that it's not his. But I'll protect you, and keep you safe if it's the last thing I do."

Tris smiles. For the first time in a while.

"And Tris," I say. "I've changed my mind."

"Y-yes?" she asks worriedly.

"That ring I gave you is not a promise ring anymore."

"Oh?"

"It's an engagement ring."

* * *

**A/N **

**Should the rating be changed to M?**

**Is an occasional mid-chapter POV change too confusing? Who's side would you like to see next?**

**Also: did anyone notice the picture change? It's a sneak-peak of Allegiant; Tobias is talking about Tris: "Sometimes I still forget to look for the gentler parts of her. For so long, all I saw was the strength, standing out like wiry muscles in her arms or the black ink marking her  
collarbone with flight." Post-war maybe? For the full article, go to divergentfans .com. And don't forget about Tris' (also on divergentfans .com)! "We don't know what's happened out there, since they put us in here, or how many generations have lived and died since they did. We could be the last people left." Is anyone else fangirling as hard as I am right now?!**

**Only 40 more days 'till Allegiant! **

**And in case anyone was wondering...Eric's, well, you could say he's a villain in this story. In other words, don't ship him and Alisa! Ship Jim and Alisa!**

**Please?**

**:{D**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N Alright guys! Since this is Chapter Four, it will start with Tobias' POV. Get it? ...Anyone...?**

**Thanks for all the support! I woke up and read (yes, Fanfiction is how I wake up before math class) your reviews! So funny! **

**Oh, and if anyone skimmed Chapter Three, get this: This story is fourtris! Totally!**

* * *

**Tobias POV:**

Tris gasps._ I've got this,_ I think. _I've finally gotten her to smile._

Then like her hand, her whole body goes limp.

I press the 'call' button for the nurse. Nothing happens. Then Alisa comes running in.

"Sorrry!" she calls. Then she sees Tris makes a sad face. "Aw, what happened?"

I shrug. "She's been doing this a lot today. Is something bad?"

Alisa looks at Tris. She takes her temperature, and some other information down. "Well, has she been getting enough sleep?" She looks to me, her eyes staring right into mine.

"Ummm, no? She was up the whole time with nightmares."

"Well that's your problem there. I'll get her to see a counselor, and in the meantime, try and get her to sleep." Alisa gets up to leave. When she gets to the door, she opens it and shuts it hurriedly. "Mind if I stay here for a while?"

I shrug. "What's the matter?"

She grins. "Can you keep a secret?"

"Sure." After all, I've kept Tris' for about a year now.

Alisa beckons for me to lean in.

So I do.

"Jim kissed me. Twice. And that wasn't even before our break. He's so protective of me," she squeals.

"Jim?"

"Dr. Everest." She smiles again. "Isn't that great? Except for the fact that when Eric tried to talk to me, Jim got all defensive of me."

"Eric tried to talk to you."

"Yeah. I can't believe he's still following me around. It's been three months, Eric! Three months," she calls out to him.

"Why's Eric trying to talk to you?"

She shrugs. "I dumped 'im after he cheated on me."

I gasp. "You think he would...? To Tris...?"

"Nah," she says, as if it's nothing. "He doesn't want everyone to find out. Plus, I hate to break it to you, but," she beckons for me to come closer.

I lean my ear in. "But...?"

She sighs. "I hate to tell you this, but I think Eric got what he came for."

"As in, you know?"

"No. Well, yes and no. I think he wanted Tris, but now he just wanted to make you two look bad. And in eight months, you two will be known to Dauntless as teen parents, if you know what I mean."

I immediately take defense. "I'll be twenty in less than two weeks, and Tris," I sigh, trying to think of a good excuse. "Tris is older than seventeen-at least her mind is. And she's smarter than a few people in Dauntless, too. And people will understand that it's not our fault."

Alisa puts her hand on my shoulder. "I believe you, but will everyone else? Tori, Harrison, and Uriah, maybe. And your friends too. But not everyone will see that Eric is to blame for this. Most will see it as a late-night party, or something crazy like that." Then her voice turns cold for a minute. "But just think about this: most of those people will believe Eric's silly reasoning for this. And they will most likely side with him if anything gets serious. So will you allow yourself what you want to think, or protect Tris at all costs?"

Then Alisa gets up and picks up her clipboard, which she seems to take everywhere. She puts her free hand to Tris' forehead and smiles. "Tris is fine, just tired is all. I should get going." Then she squeezes my shoulder one last time on her way out. The door creaks when she leaves.

* * *

The next morning, Tris wakes up with morning sickness. Well, I wouldn't say that she wakes up with it, since she had nightmares again, but you know what I mean.

After she's been bathed and had a poor attempt at breakfast, I try to get some shut-eye.

"Four?"

I rub my eyes and turn my back from Tris and smile. "Christina," I say with genuine gratitude. "Tris has been wondering where you were."

Christina smiles a toothy grin and steps into the room. Will, Marlene, and Uriah trail behind her.

I groan internally and shut my eyes for another second.

"Ah, what died in here?!"

"_Uriah_," Marlene whispers furiously. "_Behave_."

He mutters a quick apology before looking outside the door. "Ew! Why didn't anyone pick up that bucket of vomi-"

"Uriah!"

"Sorry!" He puts his hands up in mock defense.

I roll my eyes and hear bits of another conversation: Christina nagging at Tris.

"Tris, how was I supposed to you were hurt?! I went to your apartment and no one was there. Then I went to my shift, and Four comes running in with you beaten up. You ripped my dress, but more importantly, you had me concerned!"

A tear rolls down Tris' cheek. "I-I'm sorry. I'll get you a new dress, but I wasn't just beat up..."

I butt in. "Tris, are you sure it's wise to tell them?"

She looks at me innocently. "They're my best friends. What reason do I have not to tell them?"

"I guess you're right."

She half-smiles at me, then turns back to Christina who is talking out her ideas to Will. "Vomit...beaten...Tris could've gotten food poisoning, but...Tris!" she finally squeals.

The room quiets suddenly.

"You didn't tell me you were pregnant!"

* * *

"Well what other explanation could you think of?"

"Are you sure, though?"

"She could have just gotten sick, you said it yourself."

"Yeah, but...this is so much more exciting! Right Will?"

"I guess."

This continues on for a few more minutes, until Tris looks at me guiltily.

I smile encouragingly back at her, and right before I'm about to use my instructor voice, Tris surprises me.

"Everybody stop!"

And everyone stops immediately. I squeeze Tris' hand, gesturing for her to continue.

And she does. "Everyone sit down," she tells them.

Marlene sits on Uriah's lap on the last remaining chair, and Christina and Will sit side by side on the floor.

"Are you sure?" I ask Tris, one more time for good measure.

She shrugs. "No going back now."

"Do you want me to tell them?"

Tris shakes her head. "No, I will." Then she turns to everyone, and holds up her left hand.

Christina and Marlene gasp. "Tris!" they shout at the same time. "That's great!"

I feel Tris' hand slip into mine again, and I wait for the dreaded question.

It soon comes: "But Tris," Christina ponders. "You never told me about what happened that night."

Tris' face turns as white as a ghost, and I put my hand over my eyes, not wanting to be here now, but knowing that Tris needs me.

When I look up, Christina bites her lip. "What'd I say?"

* * *

**A/N In case anyone is confused, Christina is a nurse. **

**And if you would all review to the questions at the end of Chapter Three, that would be awesome! **

**Don't worry; I'll update tomorrow: weekends = longer, more focused chapters.**

**Thx, guys! :D**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N I hope you all like this. I spent a lot of time thinking about it (including when my friends ran away to get lemonade and Twix bars and I was left standing there alone until I decided to sit down and think about this), part of which was trying to make the conversation between Christina and Tris not awkward, but not overly dramatic. So here it goes...**

* * *

**Tris POV:**

I palm slap my face. This _cannot_ be happening.

Fortunately, Tobias notices. "Everybody out," he says with his instructor voice, and everyone files out. But Christina looks at me before she leaves. There's something in her eyes. Anger? No. Pity? Most likely, I hate to say. Then she lets Will take her hand and walk out of the room.

Then Tobias turns to me. "Tris," he says, worry seeping across his face. "Are you sure about this?"

I shrug.

"Tris," he says again. I know he wants an answer, but am I willing to give him one? Then he snaps me back to reality by sighing. "I'm just worried about you," he says tiresomely.

"I know," I say, counting the light tiles on the ceiling. I bet these are the only white things Dauntless has. And I'm not surprised; why would people want to wake up to pitch black tiles, especially after having your eyes closed for so long? The one down side to Dauntless is that it's all underground-aside form the net.

"Tris?"

I snap my head up. "Yes?"

"Are you okay?" Tobias's forehead immediately creases.

"Fine," I say quickly. Almost too quickly and dismissively, and Tobias notices. So I decide to put his attention elsewhere. "Just hungry," I say, looking down to the floor, which recently has been my new best friend.

"Okay...so what are you in the mood for?"

I shrug, and stare at my new best friend. "A burger," I say after a while.

"Okay," he says. Then he gets up and starts towards the door.

"Wait," I say, holding my hand out.

"Yes?"

"Can you bring Christina in here?"

"Sure," he nods. Then he goes outside. A minute later Christina walks in. Tobias comes in right behind her.

"Will's getting a bunch of burgers for all of us," he explains.

"Four, can you be outside the door right now?"

Tobias' jaw tightens, and then it releases. "Sure," he says after what feels like eternity. Then he looks right into my eyes. "If you need anything, just say my name."

I nod. When he closes the creaky door, I groan.

Christina giggles from her chair.

"He's so protective," I complain.

Christina grins. "You two are perfect for each other! He _is_ so protective, and it's cute." She sighs. "Sometimes I wish Will would be."

"I'd rather have someone who doesn't hover over me all the time."

"You know," she says, leaning towards me. She leans her elbow on the chair's arm and puts her chin on her palm. "Most guys are protective of pregnant women."

I feel my cheeks get red. "W-why do you keep mentioning that? You've got no right to, and-and,"

"And I'm right?" she finishes for me.

I look to the floor again.

"Tris?" Christina asks. I hear the worry in her voice.

And I feel a teardrop run down my face. "Eric," I barely whisper out. "He...he attacked me."

"Oh, Tris," Christina says. In turn, a tear runs down her face and she wraps her arms around me tightly. "So it's true?"

I nod.

Christina looks down to my stomach. "May I?"

My eyebrows bunch in confusion, then I understand and nod, now slightly smiling. "Yes, please do. Four hasn't even yet, though."

She puts a finger to her lips, which makes me smile again, and her laugh. I wish I had her laugh. It's so pretty, and it sounds of bells. But then again, it's girly. And not me.

A warm hand takes me back to the present, and I look down to see Christina's hand on my stomach. "Hi baby," she whispers. "You'll be beautiful, no matter what. And no matter what Eric says, you'll be smart like your mom too."

Another tear crawls past my eyes and down my cheek. But this time, it's a tear of joy. "Christina," I whisper happily. "Would you care to be the godmother?"

"It would be my pleasure," she says.

"Great."

Then Will busts through the door. "I hope I'm not interrupting, but hamburgers anyone?"

As if on cue, my stomach growls. Christina takes a hamburger, then gives it to me.

"Want ketchup?"

I shake my head and take a big bite.

"Really? Why not?"

I shrug. "I like them plain." _Like in Abnegation_, I think.

"Well, Will, I'll take the ketchup." She squirts it all over her burger, and puts her hair behind her ear before taking a bite the size of mine.

"Will," I ask. "Can you tell the others that they're welcome to come in here?"

"Sure."

A minute later, Uriah busts open the door, and runs to the burgers. Marlene trails behind him, and Tobias comes to my side.

"Ah, good. You've finally gotten her to eat."

I glare at him before taking another huge bite in his face. I chew slowly, and swallow, savoring both the moment and the flavor of my burger.

"Four, can I talk to you?" Christina asks innocently. She tilts her head to the left and stares deep into his eyes, as if she's looking into his soul.

"Sure," Tobias says, without breaking their gaze. Then he turns to me. "I'll be back in a minute Tris." He puts a piece of stray hair behind my ear. "Did you tell her?" he mouths.

I nod solemnly. At this point, he'll either stick by me, or try to stop me from making a life-changing decision.

Christina clears her throat. Tobias squeezes my hand one final time, and lets it drop.

They file out the squeaky door, and I pray to God, like I was taught in Abnegation, that all goes well. Christina did not look happy.

* * *

"So," Uriah says, awkwardly trying to start up some conversation. "How's life?"

I look to my half-eaten burger, and Will coughs loudly. Marlene glares at Uriah.

"What?" he asks overdramatically.

"You know what."

Then Christina opens the door, and Tobias comes in behind her. She looks towards me, and only me. This _cannot_ be good.

"Tris," she says strictly. "Come on. We're getting you a new haircut."

"But I can't leave until tomorrow," I say. But I immediately wish I hadn't.

Christina sighs. "I'll get Alisa to cover for you."

I look to Tobias. Christina looks at him also, and once he sees her, he looks to me and nods toward Christina, opting me to do what she says.

"Help me get up," I say, to no one in particular. Christina rushes forward, but Tobias lifts me off the bed and steadies me once I get on my feet.

"Let's go," Christina says. She opens the door for me and shuts it quietly. "Now, for hairstyles, I'm thinking about just chopping it off near your chin..."

* * *

**A/N Oooh, that's what? Three in a row?! Really?! That's good for me as a writer...and you as readers :D But I'm going away to my grandparents house (again) this weekend, so I probably won't post until Sunday, but I should have plenty written in my notebook! **

**Review, please! It helps me see what you guys would like next, and how I can keep this exciting (it still is, right?)**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N Sorry I disappeared for a week, but I've been caught up schoolwork! Hopefully this makes up for it. Onto the chapter...**

* * *

**Tris POV:**

It's been two weeks.

Two weeks since Christina cut my hair to my chin and showed me how to not act helpless. Two weeks since the nightmares have started. Two weeks since Tobias gave me a promise week, then proposed. Two weeks since he started his over-protective phase.

In other words, two and a half weeks since 'the Incident.'

It's the only appropriate name for it; the only one that fits without giving away too much to curious people. It's the only one that helps me forget, without being over-positive.

* * *

I've been having trouble sleeping.

Again.

Every night, I wake up around two in the morning and cry myself to sleep. I don't blame Tobias for sleeping through my tears. He's been through enough.

But tonight is different. I wake up sweating, panting even. I'm so tired that I wish I'll just collapse back to sleep, but knowing my luck, that'll never happen.

I'm so hot, I decide to pull my shirt off. It takes a while, since sweat has stuck to my back like there's no tomorrow. But it comes off soon enough, and I toss it to the floor. I suffocate my face in pillows, trying to hide from the nightmares.

The counselor I've been seeing says that nightmares are normal, that anyone in my situation would be having them. But not these ones.

And once I fall back asleep, after an eternity of waiting, and they start again:

_The first thing I notice is that I'm in a room. The walls are bare, except one has an intercom on it. And there's a simple table, one that looks like the dining room table that my family had in Abnegation._

_Someone steps inside the room. He smells like garbage, and his sneer is even worse. "Well Tris," he says. "You've finally done it. You've finally kicked me out of Dauntless, and your precious Four is their new prodigy. And it's finally time for you to pay."_

_Eric's face transforms into Marcus', but the sneer stays. "You'll never be what Tobias wants," he tells me, as he unbuckles his belt._

_I try to scream, but nothing comes out._

_Marcus' face transforms again, this time back to Eric. He slips his belt off, but only hits me once before setting it on the table. Then he turns around, and when I see his face again, he's got no pants on. I gasp. I know where this is going. _

_I scream, but a knife suddenly appears in his hand. Eric slits my wrists. "If you struggle, darling, you'll only make it worse for yourself."_

_I thrash, wiggle, bite-anything to get out of his reach._

Then I wake up. I sit up in my bed, and look around. The sheets are in a knot, same as Tobias' quilt. I hastily pull them up, remembering that I took my shirt off. And for a good reason too. A heat flash overcomes me, and I'm suddenly tired. I look back to the clock, but it's only 3:29. _That early?_

No wonder people think I'm going crazy.

When I wake up again, my stomach aches.

Oh god.

I run to the bathroom, and puke my guts out. Then I slump down to the bathroom tiles and cry. I cry for so long, I wonder if it's actually raining on my face.

Then someone pounds on the door worriedly. "Tris?" I'd know that voice anywhere, but right now, I don't want to hear it.

"Go away," I say through the tears.

But he just opens the door and looks into my eyes. "Oh, Tris-" he starts.

Although I'm in no mood for it. "Go away Tobias; I don't need your pity."

"Tris," he persists. He flushes the toilet and scoops me up into his arms. I snuggle into his chest, and stay there for an eternity.

Tobias breaks the silence a minute later. He readjusts me, and stands up with me in his arms. "Tris." I can sense his eyebrows furrowing. "Why is your chest bruised? I thought Alisa said that the bruises would go away."

I just stuff my face into his chest further, hoping that he will just let it go.

But knowing Tobias, he won't. And he doesn't. "Tris?"

Seconds pass. They feel like hours which feel an eternity.

"Tris, talk to me."

He's quite again, but only for a minute. He knows my weak-points. "Tris," he says. "If you don't tell me I'm taking you to a doctor."

I groan. "Umm, they never went away?"

"Tris, I know that's not what happened. Maybe you're cut out for Candor 'cause you lie so terribly."

I smile. He said that during initiation. Then he clears his throat. "That's it. I don't care if you have to work today, I'm taking you either to Max or the infirmary. I know Max has truth serum somewhere in his office..."

"No!" I spit out. "You won't do that-you can't!"

"I can and I will; Tris, can't you see that I'm trying to help you?"

I wriggle out of his grasp, and stand up. Or at least try to. I stand up too fast, and dizzy myself, getting nauseous by the moment. Tobias reaches out for me, but I don't enter his arms. I just vomit a bit and sulk down on the tiles again, burying my face in my hands.

"How could you?" I sob.

Tobias' response is etched with worry. "Tris? How could I what?"

"Love me," I manage out. I bring my knees up to my chest, and when Tobias reaches out for me yet again, I jerk back, nearly hitting my head on the edge of the toilet seat.

"Tris-"

"Tobias, how could you! Just leave me! I technically cheated on you!"

This time he picks me up so swiftly, I think I'm imagining it. Then he walks out of the bathroom and sets me down on the bed. He lays down next to me, and places his hands on me: one on my stomach, and the other one on my cheek, forcing me to face him-but not in a bad way.

"Tris," he says, so lightly that I barely hear. His breath almost overpowers it as it tickles my cheek. "I'll love you past the city borders, and far out past the gates, to the ends of the earth. I'll love you far out past how high we can see on the net, and even further than the moon. Whatever makes you happy is my life's command."

"Tobias, how? I've none nothing but fill you with worry and dread for the past seventeen days!"

He pulls me closer, and uses his instructor voice this time. "Listen to me Tris, and listen hard." Then his voice softens, and I know that ol' Tobias is back. "When you fill me with worry for you, I only want to fix that, and make you safe. When you fill me with dread, I only want to make you happy, and forget any dread. I love you so hard that Jeanine couldn't make a happy serum to top it if she tried."

"Tobias," I whisper, holding back tears. "Why-"

He gets up and cuts me off. "I think I'll be having a meeting with Eric later today. Just to say hello." He gets off the bed, and pulls me up with him.

But I'm not ready for either of us to leave yet. "Tobias, get back here!"

He peeks his head out the bathroom worriedly. "What is it?"

"Why?"

Tobias walks over, and pecks my cheek. "You're different, and I love that."

A smile starts out of the corner of my mouth, and I allow it to grow. "I love you too," I whisper.

"Sure about that?"

"Yes."

* * *

"Tris, have you gone to the Infirmary yet?"

I groan, and face Christina. "Maybe."

"I mean since you got out, smartie."

"No."

"I'm taking you today when I start my shift. Ooh, can I be a midwife?!"

I sigh, and pull Tobias' arm around me, shielding Christina from me. "I haven't thought that far ahead yet," I say weakly. "It's not even been a month."

"It's been two weeks Tris," she says loudly. "Two weeks that you could have started picking out bay clothes and bottles, diapers and-"

"Christina," I say softly. "I'm not sure I want to keep it."

Tobias' grasp on me tightens. Christina grabs me hand. "Are you serious?" she whispers furiously.

"Not that way. I'm not gonna do an abortion. I'm not sure I have the guts to. But there are plenty of good people out there looking to adopt."

"Tris," she starts again. "Consider keeping it. Please. I want to know that child, and I want to see it grow up as my godchild-"

"Why doesn't anyone understand me?! I'm seventeen, and that's way too young to be caring for a child. If I meet a couple I like and is trustworthy, that's so much better. Besides, if you look at the child, you'll just think of Eric, and I don't want to be pitied!"

Tobias sighs. He doesn't like it when Christina gets me angry. "Come on Tris," he tugs on my arm. "Let's go."

I stand up, and wrap my fingers around the breakfast tray sitting in front of me.

Christina stands up as well. "I'm sorry Tris. I'm only trying to do what's best."

"What you think is best, or what really is best for my baby?"

When she doesn't answer, Tobias guides me out the Pit. Almost immediately, he puts his arm over my shoulder, and when I walk in the direction of our apartment, he steers me away.

"We're going to the Infirmary," he says.

I groan inwardly, but he still notices. "Christina and I are gonna make you go sometime, and if you go now, you'll get it over with, and you won't have to go with her later."

When we get to the Infirmary, Marlene rushes over to my side. She takes off her earpiece. "Tris, how are you?"

"Fine," I grumble. "Is Doctor Everest available?"

"Let me check." She looks on her computer, and scrolls down. "In fifteen minutes he will be. But if you wait in those super-comfy seats over there, time should go by fast enough." She gestures over to some armchairs next to some books and toys for little children.

"Thanks," I say. Tobias leads me over to the chairs, and I sit on his lap on one of them. He rubs my back, and I stare at the clock.

Then a little boy comes up to me. "Hey, miss?"

I smile down at him warmly. "Yes?"

"Do you know where my book went?"

This kid's gonna be Erudite, I can tell. I point to a stack of books. "Is it one of them over there?"

He looks through the stack, and pulls up a picture book titled 'How White Blood Cells React to Pathogens.' Then he smiles at me. "Thanks miss."

"Anytime, kiddo."

Then he walks over and sits in a chair and starts reading.

Tobias' breath tickles my cheek. "Are you sure that was the book he was looking for?"

I shrug. "In about twelve years, he'll be Erudite anyways."

"Good point."

* * *

**Eric POV (you asked for it):**

I slam my fist down on the receptionist's desk.

Marlene pokes her head up from her computer screen a minute later. "Eric!" she says. Then she closes an appointment book. "How may I help you?"

I sigh. "Cut the crap Marlene."

"Okay, Eric," she sneers. "What can I do for you to go away as fast as possible?"

I smirk. "Feisty. Anyways, have you seen Tris lately?"

Her eyes narrow. "And why would you need to know? How would I know anyways?"

"Uh, pregnant woman? Infirmary?"

She glares even further at me. "Tris is my friend, and I'm not going to tell you where she went. You're just going to hurt her again."

"Ah, so you do know..."

"Eric! Quiet! Do you want to know or not?"

"I think we both know the answer to that question."

She sighs, and closes her eyes for a minute. She counts to ten, then opens them again and responds. "Tris has an walk-in appointment with her doctor. That's all I know."

"Thanks sweetheart," I say.

She glares at me. "Get out before I call Uriah on you! He's a leader-in-training like you, you know!"

"Oh, I know. He's Max's favorite."

Marlene groans. "Nice to see he's doing well. J-just get out before you're in here for a different reason!"

I look around, and see what she means; everyone else here is injured or sick. So I walk out the door, and walk to Tris' apartment, planning to wait there for however long it takes. But either way, it'll be worth it.

* * *

**Tris POV:**

"Thanks again, Doctor Everest," Tobias calls out as he helps me off the hospital bed that I laid on for the ultrasound.

He guides me out the room, and I say goodbye to Marlene as we head out of the Infirmary.

"Want to get lunch?"

"You can, but I think I'll just go back to the apartment for a nap," I say tiredly.

"In that case, I think I'll walk you there," he says romantically.

Our hands swing side by side as we turn corners, and finally get to our apartment, to find a surprise:

Eric stands there cleaning his fingernails with a switchblade. He looks up, and puts it away. "Tris, how are you?"

"None of your business," I sneer.

"Let's go the Pit," Tobias says.

I nod.

As we start to walk away, Eric calls me back.

I ignore him. Tobias does the same.

"Tris! Get back here! That's no way to respect a leader!"

I turn around. That was the last straw. "You're no leader. Every time I see you, you just punch my stomach and tell me to get rid of the child I have. Because you don't want your little reputation with Max to be ruined."

Tobias gasps. His grip on me tightens.

Eric starts to speak, but I shush him by continuing. "All I want is an explanation. If you're not willing to talk, I'm not willing to listen."

I pull on Tobias' arm, and we start to walk away again.

But when Eric calls me back, I turn, just this once. "Tris!"

"Yes?"

"You and me. Alone. Midnight tonight, in the Training Room."

I start to nod, but Tobias speaks. "Tris, you can't be serious. Don't trust him-"

"Shh." I tug on his ear, and he bends down, allowing me to talk without Eric hearing. "Tobias, anything else you tell me to do, I won't. But this I have to. You'll understand one day."

He sighs and nods, knowing that this argument, he'll never win.

When we finally open the doors to our apartment, I take a long-awaited nap. But this time, it's to build up strength for tonight.

* * *

**A/N What would you like to see happen in the Training Room at midnight?**

**Also: do you like Tris seen as a woman who needs protection from Tobias? Or do you like her fearless side better? Which should I write her as?**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N In case it's not clear, I do _not_ own the Divergent Trilogy.**

* * *

**Tobias POV:**

Tris won't wake up. I tap her shoulder, then wiggle the remaining energy out of them. I whisper into her ear, then nearly rip it off.

Then I brush her lips with mine. She wakes up almost immediately, and I chuckle in response.

"Wha?" she asks through a yawn.

I stifle a laugh. "Nothing."

She smirks at me, before standing up. "Something." She yawns again, then sits back down on the bed, pulling the blue quilt around her.

"Tris, do you want lunch?"

She shakes her head.

I frown. "I'll get you a burger or something," I say as I grab the apartment keys from the counter. I kiss her forehead, and pull the rest of the blanket over her. Then I walk out of the apartment and shut the door behind me. But I don't go to the Pit just yet.

I go to the Infirmary.

I swing open the doors, and walk over to the receptionist. "Hi, do you know where Marlene went?"

The guy looks up from his computer. "I'm sorry?"

"Marlene? Do you know where she is? She's a receptionist."

"Ah, yes. She's on her lunch break right now."

"Oh." I bite my lip. Now what am I supposed to do? "Um, sir?"

He looks up from the screen a second time. "Yes; how can I help you?"

"Can you help me find Dr. Everest?"

"Four?"

I look to the receptionist. He points to where the voice came from. And sure enough, Dr. Everest is standing right there, clipboard tucked under his arm comfortably.

I walk over to him. "Hey."'

He leads me to his office, where he sits down and gestures for me to sit in an armchair across from him.

"How may I help you?" he asks gently.

"Tris," I blurt out without thinking. "S-she's been having trouble sleeping. Too many nightmares."

"Hmm..." he writes something down on a notepad. "Give this to a pharmacist."

I look on the paper and it says 'zolpidem' on it.

"Oh, and if we don't have it in stock, you'll have to take Tris to Erudite to do this."

I nod, unsure of what else to say.

"Is that all I can do for you?" Dr. Everest breaks me from a daydream.

I nod and stand up. "Thanks for this."

"Sure thing."

As I turn and walk out the door, he calls me back. "Four, can I ask you something?"

"Yeah."

He closes the door and sits back down, leaning close to me

"What is it?" I ask, uncomfortable by the close distance.

"It's Alisa," he whispers. "How should I ask her out?"

* * *

**Tris POV:**

Tobias comes back about an hour later. "I'm back!" he says loudly, as he slams the door with his foot and carries a plate filled with burgers, fries, salad, and cake on it. He walks over to me and sets it down. "Ah, good. You're awake."

I nod, and immediately reach for a burger.

Tobias laughs. He sets a piece of paper on his bedside table.

"What's that?"

"Nothing," he dismisses. Then he reaches for a slice of cake.

I glare at him. "What is it?"

"Ummm...Dr. Everest's prescription for sleeping pills?" He says it as if it is a question itself, like he's not sure of it.

Or rather, not sure of how I'll react.

I groan, and take a bite of burger.

"Tris, we're trying to help you."

I look away, and take another bite.

"Tris, look at me." He's pleading now, and I know that if I say 'no', I'll regret it.

So I look at him, and take yet another bite, taking my time chewing and swallowing.

It's quiet for a while. Then Tobias speaks up. "I tried to get it at the pharmacy here, but they said we're going to have to go to Erudite to get it. How about we go when we're done eating?"

"Who says I need the medicine in the first place?"

He puts his head in his hands. "Tris," he says. "You haven't been sleeping. Dr. Everest says that it's not good for the baby."

I tut. "Fine. But we're leaving Erudite as soon as we get the stuff."

He grins happily. Huh. He must've thought that I'd disagree and start bashing his head through the wall or something.

* * *

"Tris," Tobias whispers. "It's time to jump."

I groan and rub my eyes. Tobias lifts me off his lap, and soon we are jumping off the train.

Unfortunately, I land on my knees on the concrete while trying to protect my stomach. I moan and roll onto my back.

"Tris? Are you hurt?" Tobias' voice is filled with worry.

And that is not okay. He's been over-protective, and I'm Dauntless for a reason. So I get up onto my feet and put on a smile, brushing the dirt off my pants. "No. I'm fine. Perfectly fine."

He sighs in relief and takes my hand. He fills it with warmth and squeezes it.

Soon we are at Erudite Headquarters.

"I know where to go," I say defiantly.

"Really? How?"

"I was here during initiation, remember?"

"Oh, right," he says.

I take Tobias to the Medical Unit, where he opens the door for me.

"Thanks."

"Sure thing," he tells me. Then we walk up to the front desk.

"Do you have the paper?" I whisper.

He nods and takes it out of his pocket.

Then I go up to the front desk. "Hi, do you know where the pharmacy is?"

The guy there just pushes his glasses up, never fixing his glaze off the screen.

I slam my hand down on the desk.

Tobias just nods for me to continue. And I do.

"Hey, over here!"

He looks up at me and rolls his eyes. "One moment."

"No."

But he just ignores me.

So I decide to yell. "Hey, listen to me!"

He only mutters 'hooligans', a term my father would use, before looking back to his computer.

Just as I'm about to punch this guy's lights out, I hear a voice calling me.

I turn back. "Caleb?"

He nods. He's wearing a typical doctor's outfit: a white knee-length coat and a stethoscope. And like Dr. Everest and Alisa, he's holding a clipboard. Is that a thing with doctors?

I literally jump into his arms. I hug him tightly. "Caleb, it's been too long."

"Beatrice," he says. "Can't breathe."

"Oh, right. Sorry." He pats my back and I step a foot away.

"Let me show you my office."

"I'm sorry?"

"I'm a gastroenterologist now."

"Caleb, there's a reason I'm not Erudite now," I say as we start walking.

"Ah, right," he chuckles. "I work with internal organs."

"Already?"

He nods. "It's been a year and two months now, and I've been studying full time, and a little bit extra. Dr. Wallace watches to make sure I'm doing everything right during operations, but basically I'm a fully qualified doctor now."

He rambles on for another minute about what he does, and since I don't understand a word, I look back to Tobias. He's trailing behind us. "Tobias," I whisper. "Save me."

He grins, and I pull his hand up so he's walking with me.

Caleb suddenly grows quiet. "Oh," he says dismissively. "Who's this?"

I glare at him. "Didn't you notice Four standing next to me before?"

"No," Caleb says. "And what kind of a name is 'Four'?"

I ignore him. "Caleb, Four is my boyfriend, and when we get to your 'office', there's something else I have to tell you."

The rest of the way, we're all quiet.

Until we to Caleb's office, that is.

Once Caleb opens the door to his office, he closes it and nearly explodes. "Your boyfriend?! Beatrice, you're only seventeen!"

I smirk, "Oh, please Caleb. Don't tell me there's no special girl in your life."

Caleb immediately blushes, and I giggle. "Caleb, you're only seventeen."

Caleb groans and fixes his posture. "Beatrice, what else am I supposed to think?"

I shrug. "You're supposed to be supportive."

"Supportive of what? Don't tell me you're pregnant."

I lean into Tobias. A tear threatens my fearless manner, and I let it slide down my cheek.

Caleb takes that as a 'no.' And he certainly acts like it. "No," he whispers, loud enough for us all to hear. "No. No. Beatrice, why don't you leave the room for a minute? I'd like a word with _Four_."

"No," I say defiantly. "Because it's not his."

"Tris, I'm not in the mood."

"Caleb, listen to her!" Tobias shouts. "Tris is correct. She was attacked."

Caleb gasps. "You mean she was r-"

"I prefer not to use the term," I butt in.

"Of course," Caleb says.

"The reason we're here is because she's been having nightmares and has not been getting enough sleep. Her doctor said to come here and ask for," Tobias squints at the sheet. "Something called 'Zolpidem'?"

"Of course," Caleb says. "A fairly common drug that is used to fight insomnia."

"Caleb," I threaten. "Not now."

He nods. "Sorry, so sorry. I'll try to keep my mouth shut." He pinches his lips into a straight line.

The room is quiet for a minute later. Then Caleb speaks up. "Tris, I can tell you where to get that? Then I think I will have a word with Four."

I nod. Caleb rights down a set of directions and another prescription onto a notebook pad. He tears off the sheet, and explains. "That will get you the best possible supply."

"Thank you," I breath.

Caleb just nods. Then he narrows his eyes at Tobias.

I take that as my cue to leave, and I throw a sorry smile at Tobias.

He smiles back. I know he'll be fine.

* * *

About ten minutes later, I come back to Caleb's office. I pause before opening it, and for a good reason.

"No, not like _that_," Tobias says through a laugh.

"What do you mean 'not like that'? I imitated you perfectly," Caleb responds.

"No you didn't."

"Well, do it again, then."

I push open the door just as Tobias, who is sitting on the floor with one leg stretched out, perfectly throws a pen at a map of a human body on the wall. It hits it with a thud and falls to the laminate flooring. Caleb, standing behind him, looks to the wall, then Tobias, then back at the wall, then to me, in disbelief.

"Tell me he's some kind of Dauntless prodigy," Caleb says. "Can you do this too?"

"Everyone in Dauntless can," I say. "But yes, _Four_ is some kind of Dauntless prodigy." Caleb doesn't know that Tobias wears his excellence all the time with his nickname.

Tobias leans his head against the wall. "Knife throwing just came up, and these pens were the sharpest things he had in his office."

"As it so often does," I say, a small smile inching its way across my face.

Caleb clears his throat. "It's an office, what else do you expect? Anyway, I should really be getting back to work. Did you find everything you need, Beatrice?"

I nod. "Thanks again."

"Anytime," he says. He reaches out to me, and I hug him. "Do mom and dad know?" he whispers in my ear.

I shake my head slightly. "Not yet."

"Soon," he says. "They deserve to know."

I nod. I wonder if Caleb also feels guilty for leaving them.

Should he?

Tobias clears his throat, and I squeeze Caleb once more. "I'll see you soon."

He nods, and kisses my cheek. "Take care, Beatrice. If you need anything else, you know where to come to."

"Thanks."

As walk out the door, I turn to Tobias. "What was that about?"

"What?"

"What did you two talk to him about?"

"You," he says bluntly. "I think it was the big-brother talk. 'Don't mess around with my sister' and all that."

"What did you tell him?"

By this time, we are outside the doors, and walking towards the train.

"I told him how we got together-that's how knife-throwing came up," he says.

We jump on the train.

Tobias continues, "And I told him I wasn't messing around."

We sit down, me straddling him. Tobias kisses me, and when he pulls back, I grin. "Or are you?"

* * *

At dinner that night, I think about what Eric said to me earlier. If I meet him there, will Tobias trust me enough to make decisions for myself in the future? I have to remember that I'm now responsible for not only myself, but two people. But on the other hand, if I don't go, I'll never know why Eric did what he did. Was he trying to get revenge for something I did? For something Tobias did? Was Eric simply jealous?

If I don't go, I'll never know.

So then it's settled.

When Tobias and I get back to our apartment, the first thing I do set the alarm for midnight.

I'm sorry, Tobias. You've always known I'd been a curious person.

* * *

**A/N Now how many of you were expecting that?**


	8. Chapter 8

**Tobias POV:**

I knew I never should have trusted her to turn down an explanation and a chance for payback.

* * *

The first thing I think when I hear the alarm go off is that I accidentally set it to the wrong time.

Then I roll over and see that it's around midnight. And when I pat Tris' side of the bed, it's empty. I shoot out of bed and look down the hallway, but I'm too late.

* * *

**Tris POV:**

As soon as I hear the alarm go off, I sneak into some pants and a shirt. I quickly kiss Tobias' cheek and silently thank him for the sleeping medication. I had no nightmares tonight, thankfully. Then I whisper to him. "I'm sorry, Tobias."

Once I'm out the door, I sneak into the Training Room. I push open the door, and close it quietly. I look around, but Eric's not here yet.

Then I bump into a punching bag. I jump up, and Eric turns around. "Go easy on me, would ya? I thought this was a civil meeting."

I pinch my arm then look back up. Yup, it's still him.

Eric sits down, and I follow suit.

He turns to me. "Want a beer?"

I shake my head. "Are you crazy?"

He shrugs. "Most likely."

"Of course. You know if Four wakes up and I'm not there, he'll come here and we'll be in really big trouble."

Eric shrugs again. "I've gotten my ass kicked a few times by him before. It's no big deal."

I look at him like he grew a second head. "Are you crazy?! Four's...well, Four."

"It's possible to go somewhere else, you know." Then he pulls out a six-pack of beer and pulls one off of the plastic ring. He cracks it, and it fizzes. After a minute, he starts sipping it.

I shake my head. "No, this right here is fair ground. If we're at your apartment, y-you'll probably take advanta-"

"Shut it," he growls. Then he stares me right in the eye. "You know why I did that? Because if I didn't, Peter would've. And I could never live with him doing it to you."

I fold my arms over my stomach, shielding it. "So you decided to?! What in god's name is wrong with you?!" I stare at the punching bags, wishing that I'd bumped into one of them instead of Eric.

"Most things," he says bluntly. When I look back to him, his face is straight. "You know, Four's been better than me ever since I got here. He took my rightful place in initiation, he's Max's favorite, even though he won't take the job as a leader, and on top of that, he took you!"

I gasp. "You...you know, Four never did anything intentional to hurt you. You're just blaming him for what he has. Why don't you just go back to Erudite?!" A tear rolls down my face, then another, then another. Before I know it, my face is flooding.

Eric glares at me. He points to my stomach, "You know I did this to claim you. To get back at Four. To have you all to myself. Turns out I would have been better off just killing you."

I burry my face in my hands, hoping that it will protect me from him. Then I look up and sniffle. "When I saw you last week, all you did was slap my stomach and make a bruise. You blamed me for something that you did. I was willing to 'forgive and forget,' you know. But not anymore." I slap his cheek, and take his beer, pouring it over his head. "Good riddance,_ Eric_," I sneer.

He doesn't say anything as I leave, and for that I am glad. This time I slam the door when I walk out.

* * *

On my way back to the apartment, I stop and get a drink of water. I let it flow as I push down on the button, letting it cleanse my face of tears. Then I walk away from it and wipe off my face.

As I swing open the door, I find Tobias tying his shoes. When he sees me, he looks up in relief. "Oh thank god," he says. He goes up to hug me, and I let him. "I thought you'd gone."

"No," I half-lie. "I'd just gotten to get a drink of water at the water fountain."

Tobias' forehead scrunches up, but after a minute, he nods. "That explains it. But the alarm?"

I tilt my head. "What alarm?" He'd better believe this.

He shakes his head. "I must've imagined it." Then he starts pulling his shoes off. "We'd better get back to sleep; I've got to work tomorrow." Then he looks at the clock. It's around 12:20. "I mean today."

"Actually, do mind if we take a walk? I'm not sure I'll be able to fall asleep this late."

Tobias shrugs. "Sure. Hey, how is that medication working? Any nausea? Did you sleep okay, until you woke up I mean?"

I nod. "No nightmares, for the first time in ages."

"Good." Tobias stands up and grabs his keys. Then we walk out the door, in the direction of the Pit.

Neither of us says anything for a while. Then Tobias speaks up: "Tris, I've been thinking. Since we're engaged and all, and a baby's coming our way, maybe I should take Max's offer. After all, if I'm a leader, I'll be payed better, and if you're too tired to stay working as a Faction Ambassador, you could maybe quit."

"No."

He flips his head towards me. "What? you don't want me to?" he stutters out.

"No, I think that's a great idea for you, but I like my job."

"Tris, they've given you three weeks off. You'll have to go back next week, then in eight months you'll take maternity leave. Don't you think that's a little much? Besides, I don't want you traveling to other factions like this. You've been through enough trouble already."

I groan. "I can't be useless."

"Well, what if you worked in the Infirmary Nursery? I heard they're looking for people to work there, and plus, when mini-Tris is there, you'll be able to watch her."

I look to the ground. "But after this is all over with, I'm going back to being an ambassador. Christina said she would help. We'll be fine. I'll stay where I am. and it'll work out. If it makes you happy, I'll only work part-time in the office here in Dauntless and work in the nursery the rest of the time."

Tobias smiles. He kisses my cheek, "Excellent. I'll go talk to Max tomorrow."

* * *

The next day, Tobias does talk to Max. He said that he told him what Eric did to me, and now Eric is job-less and Tobias is a leader. He's getting us to move into a bigger apartment this weekend.

"Tris," Christina calls out.

I ignore her and take a bite of my sandwich.

She sets her tray down next to me and slides into the seat next to me. I slide closer to Tobias, who puts his arm around me.

Christina looks at me. She eats a potato chip, then brushes off her fingers. "Tris, I'm really really sorry about yesterday. I don't know what I was thinking. You were right. It's your decision, and even if we think we know what's best for you, it all comes down to what you want for your child."

I smile.

Then Christina does too.

Oh no.

"But on the other hand, I'm taking you shopping while Zeke, Uriah, and Will help you guys move." She squeals. "After all, you'll have no time once your baby is born and you go back to work in two days, and..."

I groan and take a bite of my sandwich. I can feel Tobias laughing, and it _is_ kind of funny how Christina is obsessed with shopping. So I sigh and lean into Tobias even further. Maybe this life isn't too bad after all.


	9. Chapter 9

**Tris POV:**

The day after Tobias and I move into this three-bedroom apartment, I go back to work.

But I don't want to.

I lie on our queen-sized bed, amazed at how big this apartment is.

I'm also cranky, tired from shopping, still mad at Eric, my stomach hurts, and my feet are swollen.

"Tris," Tobias whispers in my ear. "It's time for dinner."

I sit up on our bed, but end up falling back into it's warmth again.

"Tris," he insists. Then he sees the bag of clothes that Christina bought me dumped on the floor.

I sit up. "Don't open that."

"Why not? I thought you guys bought baby clothes."

"W-we did," I stutter.

He opens the bag and I stuff my head into a pillow.

Tobias laughs. "Tris, no need to be embarrassed. Let's go to dinner."

I put my shoes on and we head out the door. "Right," I say, annoyed. "No need to be embarrassed when your best friend buys you extra large maternity styled clothes when you're still flat stomached." Then I push past him and walk into the doors of the Pit. I get a tray with a burger and find a seat next to Marlene.

"Tris!" she says ecstatically. "It's been too long!"

"Only a mere three hours," I mutter.

She giggles and tugs on Uriah's shirt sleeve. He turns.

"Uriah," she tells him. "Tell Tris your good news!"

He swallows a giant bite. "Four and I are replacing Eric and some other old dude when we're done with training, since they'll be useless to Max. Oh, and Max found out what happened, and gave Eric a month to pack up his things. He'll be Factionless in only 29 days."

I grin. "That's good."

"That all you have to say?" Uriah asks in confusion.

"What else should I say?"

He shrugs. "I just thought you'd be a little more cheery." Then Marlene taps his shoulder and they start talking.

I look away. I taste a salty tear, and when I touch my cheek, I find myself crying.

"Tris?"

I wipe my face and look up. Tobias sits down next to me.

"Did I do something?" he whispers.

I shake my head. "You didn't tell me you were going to be a leader so fast." I stuff my head in his chest.

I feel him stroke my hair. "Is that a bad thing?"

"No."

We're quiet for a minute.

Then: "You also didn't tell me Eric was leaving so soon. Or at all," I blurt out.

"I thought you'd be happy."

"I am. Everything's just happening so fast." Then my tears start to flow again, and Tobias takes my hand. He stands up.

"Everyone: Tris and I are leaving for the night."

Heads turn and I want to crawl under the table and stay there for the rest of eternity.

"Tobias," I say with gritted teeth.

"Sorry," he mutters. I tug on his hand and we walk to the garbage. I throw out the contents on my tray, and about to head out with Tobias when I hear someone calling my name.

"Tris!" Christina shrieks. "Hold up your hand!"

I walk over to our usual table and hold up my right hand.

"No, your other one!"

I hold up my left hand like it's no big deal.

And suddenly Uriah wolf-whistles and Marlene and Shauna scream.

"I know right?!" Christina shouts. "I was so excited when I saw her hand a week ago reach for a glass of water! She made me promise not to tell, but I knew it was time..."

Christina rambles on for a while, and I ignore her, until she says a particular phrase.

I glare at her. "_What_ did you just say?"

"I said that this morning at breakfast you'd said that I could be your wedding planner. But now that I think about it, you were half-asleep, and you answered like I'd asked you to pass the salt. And I probably did. But anyways, I think we're gonna go with a black and blue style wedding. Ooh, we should drape black chiffon across the railing!"

I groan. "You _did_ ask me to pass the salt. And no. Not yet, anyways. Four and I just want a simple wedding. Just the two of us."

The only grins that go away are Marlene's, Shauna's, and Christina's. They scowl, but Christina the most.

Then she smiles. "But I'm still throwing a party! Just everyone at this table and co-workers! And Tori. And..."

"Let's go, Tobias," I whisper.

On the way out the door, he whispers to me. "You're right."

"About?"

"I want a simple wedding. The way our parents' were."

"Do you think they'd come?"

"Who? Your parents?"

I nod.

Tobias shrugs. "How about we go visit them?"

"We both work tomorrow."

"Saturday, then."

"Perfect."

* * *

The next morning, I wake up to no nightmares, but morning sickness. It's kind of becoming a habit for us: wake up to Tris puking, Tobias comes in thinking it's worse than expected, Tris' stomach cramps when Tobias picks her up, and Tris wishing that her life were normal and breaking down in tears.

Normal pregnancy, right?

It's normal for us now, except today I have to go to work.

When I get to the Pit, I down a cup of coffee and head off to the glass building above the Pit.

"Tris!" a voice sings beside me.

I turn to face Christina.

"Oh, hi."

"Oh, hi? Tris, come on!"

I cross my arms.

"Tris, I'm taking you dress shopping sometime in the next week."

I groan. "You know, the wedding probably won't be for a while. We haven't a date set. I still need to visit my parents. Oh, what else? Oh yeah, I still have a life to live!"

Christina tilts her head to the side. "You know this is how all the pregnant women in the Infirmary act, cranky. I suggest you get more sleep tonight, missy."

"Go away," I say quietly.

"Oh, Tris, I didn't mean to. I know I've got to be gentle around you, and I'm really sorry-"

"Go away! I don't need a pity party!"

Christina takes this as a cue to leave, and she just hugs me tightly and scurries off.

I rub my eyes and enter the glass building.

The first thing I do when I get to my desk is sit down. Soon, I'm half-asleep, when a voice squeals.

"Tris! You're back! Omg, do you know how much we've missed you?! This office has been so quiet without you!"

I open one of my eyes. "Nice to see you two, Alexis."

She looks down to my hand on my stomach, and her smile disappears. She sits in a chair opposite from me, and leans her chin on her hand. Then she speaks so softly only I can hear. "Is...is what they said about you true? Did it really happen?"

I groan.

Alexis throws me an apologetic smile. "I know what you're going through Tris. When Jack proposed, I wanted to buy a tape-recorder so I wouldn't have to keep repeating myself."

I try to smile, but I think it comes out lopsided.

"And if you need anything, let us know. Oh, here's an invitation to our wedding!"

She hands me a piece of fancy parchment. "When did he do this?"

"About three weeks ago. It was so romantic, then this dude named Eric kept moaning and ruining our moment."

I look away.

"Tris? Did I say something wrong?" she touches my arm worriedly.

I shake my head. "Eric...you know. That's what happened three weeks ago."

Alexis bites her lip. "I'm really really sorry about that Tris. If I had only known..."

"You had no idea," I reassure her. "It's not your fault. Besides, Eric is Factionless in a month."

Alexis grins. "That's great!"

"And that's not all." I hold out my left hand. "Four proposed."

Alexis squeals. I quickly shush her. She lowers her voice, "When did this happen?"

"Three days after, you know."

"Yeah." Then she smiles. "Tris! I'm so happy for you! Do you have a date set?"

I shrug. "We just want a simple wedding. But my friends are gonna have a party afterwards, I think. You should come."

Alexis nods. "Just say when and where. You'll come to mine, right?"

I nod.

"Well, I'd better get going. We have to plan for the Factions Council Meeting, which is two weeks from today. There's a meeting at three, by the way."

"Bye, Alexis."

She waves goodbye and walks off, a bounce in her step. I wonder if that's how I would feel if I wasn't pregnant but still engaged...

* * *

I knock on Harrison's door after lunch. When he doesn't answer immediately, I sit down at one of the chairs outside his office.

A minute later, he opens the door. He looks around and is about to close it when he looks down and sees me. "Tris! Come in!" he says, gesturing into his office. He puts some papers in a stack on his desk, and puts them in a bin labeled 'out-going mail'. Then he smiles at me. "We've missed you. How've you been? I heard you have some good news in your future."

I nod, and instinctively place a hand on my stomach.

Harrison smiles at me. I smile weakly back.

"How are you? Can I get you anything? Coffee? Tea?"

"Tea's fine, thanks."

"Alrighty." He leaves, and a minute later, he comes back with two mugs.

He hands one to me, and as I bring the mug to my lips, I taste chai. "Thanks."

"No problem. Now, tell me how things are."

"Well, I'm...pregnant? And so Four wants me to start working part-time."

Harrison looks at me warmly. "It's nothing to be ashamed of, Tris. We're all sorry about what happened, so let's move forward. Now, let's see..." he takes out his calendar. "Can you work mornings only six days a week?"

I nod. "Four doesn't want me traveling, either."

"Okay..." he writes it down and smiles up at me. "Anything else I can do for you today?'

I shake my head.

"Will you be joining us this afternoon?"

"Yes, I've been informed that it's a big deal."

"It most certainly is."

I drain my mug. Harrison takes it from me as we stand up.

"Thanks for the tea."

"Anytime, Tris. And if you ever need someone to talk to, you know where to come." He opens his arms out to hug me, and I greet them. "take care," he says.

I smile and walk out. Harrison may seem intimidating at first, but he's really nice. I wonder why he never chose to be a leader...

* * *

**A/N First off, thanks for all the support! I feel like this is one of my stronger stories, and you guys make that possible!**

**Second, where would you like this story to go? Would you like to see Eric get the last laugh on Tris and make sure that she miscarries before he leaves, or would you like to see Tris, Tobias, and mini-Tris become a loving family? Do you think they're too young to be one?**


	10. Chapter 10

**Tris POV:**

That night at dinner, I don't see Tobias. I stare at my macaroni wanting to burn holes in it and ask if it knows where Tobias is, but end up eating it before I get a chance.

"Tris," Christina calls out.

I turn my head in her direction. She waves me over and I get up and walk towards her. "What?" I snap, more annoyed than I intended.

She shrugs. "You looked lonely."

I sit down next to her, and my stomach grumbles.

"You look tired," she says. "And hungry." She looks at my tray, and then whispers in Will's ear. He gets up and walks away.

"What was that?"

"He's getting you a burger. You can't just eat carbs, Tris. Your baby needs vitamins and minerals."

Then Will comes back with a burger and a plate of broccoli. Surprisingly, when he sets it down in front of me, I eat all the broccoli, but push away the burger. I put my head down on the table.

"Tris, eat."

I groan, "I'm too tired to."

"To tired to eat? Wow. Well, goodnight then. Why don't you take the burger to Four? I haven't seen him here tonight, and he must be really hungry. He never skips dinner. My god, I've seen him in a burger eating contest. He wolfed down four in a minute and afterwards..."

I roll my eyes. "Night, everyone."

Will waves, and I smile. He giggles at Christina, who's still talking about Tobias. She looks at him for an answer and he just nods and she goes back to talking as I walk away: "Am I right or what? Tris? Tris?"

* * *

As I push open the doors to our new apartment, I see a sight I don't see every day.

"T-Tobias?" I stutter out.

He looks up to me from his hand. He smiles. "How was your day?"

"Fine," I say, wanting to move on and see what happened. "I brought you a burger."

He looks to the plate I have in my hand, and I giggle and place it in his uninjured hand.

"What happened?"

He takes his time to conveniently chew, swallow, and take another huge bite, repeating the process. Then he answers. "Eric." Then another bite.

But that's not good enough for me. "Explain."

He gulps down yet another bite slowly. "He gave me a note, saying that he would do everything in his power to get back on to Max's good side and destroy your baby." A tear trickles down his cheek. "I just had to get my anger out, Tris, and I couldn't find him. So I went to the training room and broke a punching bag off it's hinges."

"Ah, Tobias," I start, but he shushes me. "Let me see your hand," I whisper.

He holds it out and brushes burger crumbs off of his other hand. Once I take a good look at it, I see knuckles that are on the verge of bleeding, and skin that is peeling on the front side of his fingers.

I gently drop his hand and rummage through our bathroom, looking for gauze and some healing slave that the Infirmary gave me when I was there. I come back to Tobias a minute later, and wrap up his hands. I brush my lips to his knuckles, and I can feel Tobias grinning ear to ear like an idiot.

But if it were me, I would be doing the same as him.

"How was work?" I ask, once I've put away the supplies.

Tobias shrugs. "Difficult to adjust to."

"How was Uriah?"

"Pretty good."

"And everyone else?"

"Fine," he says dismissively.

I squint my eyes at him. "There's something you're not telling me."

Tobias sighs, and scoots his chair even closer to me. He takes my hand, "Tris, you know, I've been thinking," he scratches the back of his neck. He must be nervous. "Do you want an adoption? You've been mentioning that, and I've been wondering if you really want to. I mean really really really want to, and even though I want to protect this child and keep Eric from hurting it, don't you think we're too young to be dealing with one?"

I look down.

"Tris-" he starts.

I turn my head up and look directly into his eyes. "What do _you_ think?"

"Tris, it's your decision."

"That's what everyone keeps telling me, but if I can't even tell Christina and Alexis the date of our wedding, how can I decide the fate of-"

"Tris, wait a sec. Calm down. We don't have to decide yet, but-"

"Yes; let's. You and I are too young, and if we find a nice Abnegation household willing to take it when we go on Saturday. And if we want to back out, we still have eight months."

Tobias gulps. Then he smiles. "If that's what you want, then I'll stand by your wishes." He gets up, then turns to me. "And if anyone tells you that what you're doing is wrong, _ruin_ them."

* * *

After breakfast on Saturday, Tobias and I head out to Abnegation. Once we're safely on the train, Tobias brings me closer to him. He kisses my three ravens, along with the two new ones that I got when I came out of the Infirmary.

"I'm glad we're doing this," he breathes. "Once this is over, we'll know that our child is in good hands, and we can feel free to be Dauntless."

I wonder if he notices that he said 'our child' instead of 'your child.' I wonder if he's beginning to think that my child really is his, after all that's happened.

When the train gets closer and closer to Abnegation, Tobias and I stand up.

"On four," he whispers. "One..." he takes my hand. "Two..." he bends his knees. "Three..." I bend mine, and grip his hand so tight it turns purple.

"Four!" I shout.

As I pull him with me, he yells against the wind. "...Loves Tris!"

I giggle as I land on top of him. I roll over him, out of breath.

He stands up, and pulls me up with him. Then he stares into the direction of the Abnegation houses. "It's been too long," he whispers, so lightly I'm afraid he didn't mean for me to hear.

"Come on," I say, shaking the thought off. "I for one remember where to go."

Tobias sticks his tongue out at me.

When we pass Marcus' house, Tobias' grip on my hand tightens.

"Walk right past it," I whisper to him encouragingly.

Soon we are at my parents' house. I pause, and take a sharp breath in.

"We can always go back if you don't want to-"

"No," I say. "We didn't come for nothing." Then, to prove my point, I knock briskly on the door.

* * *

"Beatrice?" a familiar voice asks.

I turn my head. "Mom, it's been too long."

She smiles down at me. "Come in, it's cold outside." Then she turns to Tobias. "And you too." She tilts her head and smiles. "Four, is it?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Oh, no need to be formal. Call me Natalie. And come in before you catch a cold."

We follow my mom into my parents' house, and she immediately is an amazing hostess.

"Sit down," she says, but she doesn't sit with us. "Can I get you two anything? Tea? Water? Or if you'd like something to eat, I've got-"

"Mom," I say. "Water is fine."

"Oh, okay then."

As she gets our water, Tobias and I look around. My parents have left everything exactly where it was when Caleb and I left: the single family picture we have is still hanging over the mantle and the ever-gray couch and single rocking chair are positioned near it. I remember when my mom moved everything towards it, and she told us not to look at ourselves, but at our family and how we can help them. But I suppose she just liked seeing us all smiling together.

I wonder if that will be me in a few years. Do I want it to? No, but I cannot change anything.

Then my mom walks back from the kitchen. "Here you are," she says.

"Thanks," Tobias and I say simultaneously.

"So," she says. "I could have sworn I've seen you somewhere before initiation, Four."

"Mom," I warn. "Not now."

She tilts her head down and mutters. "Sorry."

"Can you keep a secret?" I ask.

She nods.

Tobias squeezes my hand. "I'm p-pregnant."

My mom opens her mouth, then closes it. "Congratulations," she says.

"It's not what you think," I assure her.

She takes a sip of water. "You mean...?"

I nod. "It's not Tobias'."

"Tobias'?"

I gasp. "I mean Four's. Whoops," I awkwardly laugh to myself at my stupidity.

But my mom ignores me. She stands up and smiles. "Welcome to my home, Tobias."

"Thanks," he says.

Then my mom forgets her selflessness. Ignores the rules of the faction she chose. Forgets that she'll be wearing gray forever, and never again making physical contact.

She embraces Tobias.

He stumbles, startled.

"Your father has missed you," she whispers. "He's been so stressed lately."

I see Tobias' hands ball up into fists.

Then she turns to me. "As with your father. It's almost as if...as if they're growing selfish." She smiles pitifully, then tilts her head and smiles ever so slightly at me. "Back to what you were saying?"

"Oh, right. Um, how do I put this? It-the child I mean-isn't Four's."

My mother sucks a deep breath in. Then she hugs me. I do what I do to Tobias every morning, and give in to the hug.

"I certainly wasn't expecting that," she admits.

I nod. "We know."

"I know you most likely have told this story many many times and do not want to repeat in case you explode, but can you tell me what

"What are you planning to do with it?" she asks, once we are seated again.

"Adoption, we hope. We actually came to tell you and dad the news, along with asking you who you think a good couple would be to adopt." I take a breath in and add, "If you'll allow us of course."

"Oh, Tris," she whispers. "Of course I'll allow you to do it. If you want an abortion I'll stand by you-"

"No," I say firmly. "That is never an option."

"Tris, you're seventeen-"

"And way to young to be caring for a child. I _know_, mom. I'm trying to do what's best for it, and myself. If I decide on an abortion, I'm not helping anyone." I finish for her.

She smiles at me. "I know just the couple."


	11. Chapter 11

**Tris POV:**

As my mom takes us outside, we start walking to meet my baby's potential adoptive parents, and I think about what my mom had to say. Did she really say she would support anything I chose? Did she really mean it? I would never choose abortion, but it's nice to know that someone's on my side. Although I did grow up believing in God. I remember my parents both telling us about how all life is valued, and being in Abnegation, everyone's is more important than our own. And now here my mother is...telling me that it's okay to end my child's life if I want to.

The choice I'll have to make seems even more difficult than the Choosing Ceremony. I bet it is.

Tobias squeezes my hand, bringing back my attention. "We're here," he whispers.

My mother smiles at me and knocks on the door.

Then she turns to me, "You'll love them. You've known them all your life, after all."

The door suddenly opens. "Natalie! It's been too long! Come in! Oh, and is this Beatrice with you? My, how you've grown!"

Mrs. Ross grins at me and gestures for us to come in. She sees me rubbing my arms and goes to get us tea.

"So," she says, once she sets the tray of tea down. "Who's this?" Then she gasps. "Tobias, I'd recognize you anywhere!"

He smiles slightly. "I'd appreciate if you call me Four."

Mrs. Ross tilts her head to the side questionably. "Okay, Four," she says wearily.

My mom clears her throat, "We actually came to discuss other matters, Lydia."

She nods her head. "Yes, of course. What's the matter?"

"Erm...I'm pregnant," I tell her.

She smiles. "That's wonderful, Beatrice. But I don't understand..."

"Why I told you?"

She nods.

"Well, I'm too young to take care of the child, and I was wondering if...well, we were wondering if you would be willing to adopt."

Mrs. Ross' widens. "You know, I have been looking to adopt. Jim and I, I mean."

"That's wonderful, but I think we'd rather check out other couples before making a decision." I look to Tobias and he nods on, encouraging what I'm saying.

If Mrs. Ross is mad, she doesn't show it. After all, she's Abnegation. She keeps her smiles on, "I understand fully. We all want our children to have the best possible home, no matter the cost." Then she stands.

The rest of us get up and follow her as she soon stands at the door.

She smiles at my stomach. "How far along are you?"

I shrug, "Three and a half weeks."

"That's wonderful. Congratulations, again."

My face drops, and she notices.

"Did I say something wrong? I didn't mean it," she says, panicking.

"No, no," I reassure her. "It's just...um, the baby isn't Four's."

"Oh, I thought you two were a couple. Forgive me."

"We are, it's just that it happened so fast, and...we weren't sure what happened at all."

"Oh, I'm sorry." She frowns pitifully."

"Yeah, I was, um...attacked."

I feel Tobias take my hand. "We should leave," he whispers.

"Yeah," I breathe.

Mrs. Ross sees us talking to ourselves and says goodbye to my mother. Then she smiles at me and Tobias. "Goodbye Beatrice, and, um, Four."

I wave to her.

"Always nice to see you, Natalie," she says to my mother.

Then a minute later we're walking back to my parents' house.

When we get inside, my mom starts talking. "You two must be tired from the day. But I insist you stay for dinner. We've got to catch up. Besaide," she says pointedly, to me. "You haven't seen your father in so long."

I shrug. "That'd be nice to stay for dinner."

Tobias nods from behind me. Then once my mother goes into the kitchen, he ushers me towards the couch.

"Sit," he commands. Then he goes to talk with my mother, who's prepping dinner in the kitchen.

I wonder what they're talking about. And even if I don't mean to be selfish, I wonder if they're talking about me. About how the day went. About how-

I can't stand it anymore. I get up and stretch my legs, slipping off my shoes. Then I walk to the kitchen.

"I'm telling you Mrs. Prior, I'm-"

"Natalie," she corrects. "Call me Natalie."

He nods. "Yeah," Tobias says.

"Continue."

"Well, _Natalie_, I'm worried for her. Dauntless is a dangerous place."

She nods. "It's very dangerous. And I don't mean to be, well, rude, but imagine if she keeps the baby. It's bound to be Divergent, and while it's very hard to leave a place you grow up in at sixteen, imagine if the child decides to stay in Dauntless. There's no way that it'd be safe."

I clear my throat.

They see me standing in the doorway.

My mom is the first to speak. "Beatrice, why don't you go sit down? Tobias and I've got everything covered."

Tobias nods. "You look cold, let one of us find you a blanket." Then he looks down to my feet. "Your feet-they're swollen. Go lie down, and let us take care of everything."

He places the bag of frozen peas that he has down on the counter, and guides me back into the living room.

Then the doorbell rings. I get up off my feet and answer it.

"Dad," I say sweetly, "It's been too long!"

"Beatrice?" he whispers, as if this is all a dream.

"Yes, come in."

He does, and I shut the door. Tobias and my mother walk in a minute later.

"Andrew," my mother says warmly. "How was your day?"

"Fine," he responds dismissively.

"Is Marcus still coming for dinner?"

"Yes, as soon as he finishes at the office; he's finishing some plans for supplying food to the Factionless."

"Again? It seems as if they're always changing it."

He grunts. "They always are. It's just a matter of making sure everyone gets enough. And if the truck drivers go on strike? The plans would go down the tube."

My mother nods on. Then once it's quiet, she speaks: "Well, Beatrice and,...Four will be joining us for dinner."

"Four?" he looks to him.

Tobias looks us.

My father clears his throat, and looks at Tobias closely. Then he murmurs. "Well I'll be-"

"Andrew, what do you say we set the table?" my mom asks, tearing him away from his one-sided conversation. "T-Four and I are cooking up peas and chicken. And Beatrice is resting."

My dad nods, but stays with me. He tucks a stray hair behind my ear. "It has been too long."

"Dad-"

"I'm sorry I didn't come to Visiting Day, this year and last. I've just been caught up in work. And no matter what you think, I'll always respect your decision on picking Dauntless. I could see that you would the day you were born."

"Dad, I-I'm pregnant."

He gasps. "Beatrice-"

Then the doorbell rings. My dad just stands there. "You should answer it," I say.

So he gets up and answers it. "Marcus, how good to see you!"

From the kitchen, I can hear Tobias gasp and drop a plate.

* * *

"Tobias," Marcus hisses. "You know so much better than to do that!"

"It's fine," my mom reassures him. "Plates are replaceable. Broken bones are not. Thank goodness you're not hurt."

She picks up the plate and dumps it in the garbage can. Then she sweeps up the ceramic shards.

A minute later, she walks out. We all gather around the table.

We sit down, and hold hands and pray. Then we eat.

As we pass around the food, Marcus smiles at me. "Beatrice, Tobias, to what do we owe this pleasure?"

My mom nods to me.

I put some peas on my plate, then pass the bowl onto Tobias.

"Beatrice," my mother says. "You should tell them."

"I-I'm pregnant," I blurt out.

Everyone is quiet for a minute, aside from Tobias' chewing.

"Congratulations," Marcus says, as he looks me in the eye. Then he glares at Tobias and stands. "Tobias, a word?"

"No!" I shout out again. My father glares at me. "I-I mean, it's not his fault. It's not even his." Marcus looks at me questionably. "The child I mean."

Marcus sits down and Tobias does the same. Marcus takes a bite of chicken, chewing slowly and swallowing. Then: "So if it's not his, tell me what happened."

My father clears his throat. "I hate to interrupt, but Tobias? It's really you? I mean, I had my suspicions, and you all are acting so familiar with each other, but Tobias?"

Tobias nods.

My dad smiles. "Welcome back."

"Thanks, sir."

Marcus smiles. Once the table is silent, he looks on at me.

I wipe my mouth with my napkin and begin. "Umm, I was attacked by this guy named Eric, and am now pregnant?" I finish, the way I would a question. But the more I think about what really happened it, the more I question it.

"Beatrice," my father whispers. "How could this happen? Those...those Dauntless hooligans!"

Marcus nods to me, and points his fork at me. "Actually, I head about this at work. Eric, one of Dauntless' leaders, is becoming Factionless. They wouldn't reveal why, but it all makes sense. I wonder who the new leader will be..."

I look to Tobias, but the smug expression on his face says 'what he doesn't know cannot hurt him.'

My mother takes this as an opportunity to clear the plates off the table.

When she comes back, she smiles. "Thank you for coming, Marcus, Beatrice, Tobias."

Marcus smiles, and looks at Tobias. "Thank you for having us."

Then he walks out the door.

I turn to my mother. "We really should be going," I tell her, anxious to leave suddenly.

"Yes, of course," my mother says encouragingly. Then she hugs me. "Good luck," she whispers in my ear.

Then she smiles at Tobias. She looks to see if my dad is looking. He isn't so she briefly hugs him.

We thank my mother for having us, and naturally, she says that it's her pleasure.

So I kiss her cheek and walk out the door, Tobias trailing behind.

Once we hop on the train, he lets out a breath that I had no idea he was holding in.

"Glad that we got it over with?" I ask.

He nods. Then his expression darkens. "Are you sure that this was the right thing to do?"

"Tobias, we are way to young to be caring for a child!"

"No, not that. Well, that, I totally agree with, but are you sure it was best for Marcus to know? If the baby is a boy, and it's here in Abnegation...I just don't want it around Marcus."

"What are the chances of that happening? Maybe...maybe we could give it to Erudite. There's a chance that it's aptitude is Erudite. I'm one-third Erudite, and Eric came from Erudite. Do you think it would be safe there?"

"You mean as a guinea pig? I don't think so."

As we hop off the train in silence, I think to myself. I mutter, "There really is no safe place for this child, is there?" Then I think: Unless...well, unless we find a way for it to not follow the faction system...but is that even an option? Would it be just as-or even worse, more-dangerous?


	12. Chapter 12

**One month later...**

**Tris POV:**

I never saw Eric again, until he left. Yesterday, he slicked his hair back and winked at me. He threw me one of his lip piercings and blew me a kiss, none of which I caught. I gave Eric the finger, and Tobias wrapped his arm protectively around me.

Before he got on the train, Eric whispered into my ear. "I'll be counting the days before you join me in hell." His thumb rubbed against my cheek idly.

Tobias stiffened. I took Eric's finger into my hand and yanked it backwards. I heard the pop, and Eric should have; he deserved it. I simply told him, "You'll be counting 'till the day you die, Eric."

He just smiled. "It'll be worth it, honey."

"Don't. You. Dare," I hissed.

But Eric just smiled even further and jumped on the train.

Now, as I stand where I did yesterday, near the train tracks, I wait for Tobias to arrive. He said he wanted to take me someplace special, so I shrugged my best jeans onto my bloated body. I don't care how skinny I am, this pregnancy is not doing anything good for my self-esteem.

Then I see a silhouette come towards me. It moves with the train, and soon wraps itself around me.

"Tris," he whispers.

"Tobias."

He takes my hand and we jump onto the train. I fit myself on his lap, and in turn, he wraps his arms around me.

"How was your day?" I ask, eager to break the silence.

"Fine," he says quickly. Then he kisses me.

A minute later he breaks apart. "Time to jump."

He covers my eyes and takes my hand, pulling me off the train. I crash into him, and he steadies me. Then he pulls out a quilt from a bag I didn't know he had with him. He spreads it down, and I fall onto it. Tobias sits down next to me. My stomach grumbles and he chuckles, and handing me a napkin with a sandwich on it. I bite into it greedily and am overcome with the joy of ham, mustard, jack cheese, and tomatoes. Who knew the Dauntless could cook so well?

Next to me, Tobias swallows a sandwich, then another. I laugh and look into the bag. In it is another blanket, and quite a few slices of cake.

I pull one out and Tobias looks at me innocently.

"What?" I ask through a laugh.

"Nothing, just hand me one."

I give him the slice I have in my hand, and pull out another.

"You know," Tobias says, once we've finished off the cake. "Maybe we should be leaving soon. I've heard that the Factionless usually come around here."

I know he's not joking, but I decide to tease him anyways. "Are you purposely trying to get us to leave and go back to normal life?"

He doesn't respond for a while. I watch as he chews on a fingernail, and ponders life. Then he smiles. "We should get married tomorrow."

I raise my eyebrows.

"None of us are working, and-"

"And it would be perfect," I finish. I sigh in contempt and sprawl myself over his chest. I can feel his heartbeat. It's so relaxing...

"Did you know that Beatrice means 'bringer of joy'?" he asks. "Give me that joy," he whispers.

Instead of answering to his question, I feel my forehead scrunch up. "How?" I mutter.

"How what?"

"How did I get so lucky?"

He sits up. "How did you? You transferred into my life, and made me lucky," he says. Then he repeats: "Give me that joy."

I break off whatever he was going to say, and turn my body so I'm facing him. Then I kiss him.

"Then it's settled," he says once we break apart. "Tomorrow's our lucky day."

"You bet it is."

* * *

"Christina, wait up! There's something I've got to tell you!"

"What is it?" Christina asks, through gritted teeth. Then she sighs. "Sorry, it's just that I got no sleep tonight, the coffee Will gave me is lacking cream, and my shift started five minutes ago. So if you've got something to tell me, walk with me."

I jog up to her. "Okay, so remember how Four and I are planning on having a small wedding?" I don't wait for her to answer; we haven't got the time, so I keep talking, "Well, we're having it tonight."

Christina sips her coffee and rubs her eyes. "Tris, I'm really in no mood."

"But it's true."

She stares at me. Then she squeals. People turn their heads in our direction, and Christina just smiles innocently. "You know what, maybe Alisa can cover for me..."

An hour later, I'm wishing I never said anything to Christina.

She stares at her notes. "Now, if we put Zeke with Shauna, they'll look cute going up the aisle. As for Lynn..."

"Christina, Christina, Christina," I sigh, "I said I wanted a small wedding. Just one with Four and me, and two witnesses-you and Zeke most likely, or Tori and Harrison. You can plan the afterwards party. Just get our friends together, get some beer for the rest of you, and soda for me. Get a movie or some games and food, and we're set. That's it."

But she's looking at me like I grew a second head. "Are you out of your mind?! You forgot that we still need to get you a dress..."

I put my head in my hands.

Another hour later, I'm stuck in a dressing room. Christina is slipping me endless dresses through the curtain. I sift through them, and pull out a skimpy black one. I shove it back out. "No." Then I pick up a floor length white one. "No." Then I pick up a simple knee-length V-neck dark gray one. I slip it on quickly.

"What's taking you so long?" Christina asks impatiently. She groans and rips open the curtain.

After a thousand seconds, I look at her questioningly. She gasps. Tears are rolling down her eyes. I bite my lip awkwardly.

"Oh, Tris," she whimpers. "Spin for me."

I do, and when I stop, she appears to have wiped her tears off. "Let's go; our work here is done."

When we get to the cash register, Christina stops me from punching in my member number. "I'll get it," she says. "It's your wedding present."

"Thanks," I whisper.

As I walk back to my apartment, Christina goes off to tell our friends about tonight.

"I'll be to your place at three," she tells me, since she made an appointment for Tobias and I to wed at five, and it apparently takes two hours to get ready.

And on top of that, Christina isn't letting Tobias and I see each other before tonight. She said something about it being bad luck. I don't know if I trust her on that, but I trust her with just about everything else.

* * *

At exactly three o'clock, Christina busts open the door without knocking.

She immediately begins to work on my hair, setting me down in a chair. As she plugs in a curling iron, letting it heat up, the room suddenly grows quiet. Then: "You're so lucky," she whispers.

"Pardon?" I turn to face her.

"The way Four looks at you, I mean. Like you're the only thing that matters to him." She sighs. "I love Will, but he's just so subtle sometimes."

"He loves you," I respond, as gently as I can. "Maybe...maybe he's planning something for you. He treats you like Four does me. Will could also be wondering how to show his appreciation for you. Give him time."

"Huh," is her only reply. She clears her throat. "Are you sure you're not Candor?"

I turn back in my chair and glare at her.

"Kidding," she says after a minute, making the whole thing seem like a joke.

I know it's meant to be, but the whole subject seems unnecessary.

* * *

"There," she says decisively, after a millennium. Christina spins my chair around so I'm facing the mirror, sending me back in time to Abnegation, where my mother is cutting my hair, except for the fact that my hair is curled and different strands of hair are pinned to the top of my head with black pins.

"Let's get you into a dress," she says after a moment of silence. She hands me my dress, warning me not to ruin my hair when I put it on.

"Yes ma'am," I respond sheepishly as I walk to the bathroom.

When I come out, Christina gasps and claps her hands together. "You look like a model!" she squeals.

"Thanks."

She smiles a toothy grin and sits down in the chair, eager to make herself just as pretty. She re-heats the curling iron, plugging it in. Then she begins to comb her hair. Although she's smiling, she groans.

"What is it?"

"This wedding is _so_ last minute! I'd have planned you and Four a big fairytale wedding. Imagine getting wed at the Farris Wheel, or wherever you two had your first kiss. Fold-up banquet chairs, rows of them with the ones on the ends wrapped in silver and black tinsel. Then the cake! The biggest and best that Dauntless can offer, with the whole faction's eyes on you while you cut it and smash it in each other's faces. We could have made you a queen!"

I sigh, tapping the tips of my fingers to the back of the chair she's sitting in idly.

"If you could choose, would you want a big one?"

"Honestly? I prefer this one better. I'm not nervous, and it's exactly what Four and I want."

She smiles. "That's exactly what Four would say. You two are perfect for each other."

"But we're teenagers. Everything is happening _way_ to fast. We should be partying late into the nights, not getting married. And we should be happy with our lives, not worrying about caring for a child in eight months. I still can't believe that this is happening to me!"

Christina smiles pitifully. She holds her arms out for me, and I fit myself into them. She wraps one around my back while the other strokes my hair. I can feel the tears running down my face.

Christina pulls away first. "Deep breaths, girlie. You're doing great. You're doing a fantastic job." She wipes tears off my cheek with her thumb. Then she laughs weakly. "Good thing we haven't put makeup on yet, huh?"

I smile the best I can, which sadly isn't very much. When I look to her face, I see Christina on the verge of tears. I know it's hard for me, but how is it for my friends to deal with this? I've never thought about it before, but now that I think about it...I'm wondering if they feel like I'm leaving them and growing up way too fast...

* * *

**A/N I know this may sound cliché, but I really need ideas! Where do you want this story to go? Do you want another lady to come into the picture, possibly sent by Eric to keep Tobias away from Tris?**

**Thx for all of the support! It's been really fun writing this and reading the reviews! Some of them are pretty funny...^_^**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N Sorry I disappeared for a week! Again, I have so much homework! Onto other matters...I don't own the Divergent Trilogy, wedding vows, or the Dauntless manifesto. **

* * *

**Tris POV:**

As Christina puts the finishing touches on my minimal makeup, she glances at the clock.

"Ahh! It's nearly five!" she squirms, "We better get going!"

She hands me one of many pairs of shoes she brought: black six inch heels. I shake my head and she groans, giving me a pair of black leather boots, with only a one-inch heel. She slips on a pair of heels for herself and grabs her purse.

Christina motions for me to follow her, then she stops suddenly. "Wait right here, I forgot something." She scurries back to the apartment. I stand there with my arms folded awkwardly. Then she comes rushing back, with a piece of black fabric in her hand. She adjusts it in my hair with more pins, and takes a mirror out of her purse for me to see.

When I look into my reflection, I see a girl with curled hair and natural-looking makeup. On top of her head is a black veil that brushes her shoulders, but for some reason, it doesn't look like she's going to a funeral. Instead, the gray pearls and black flowers accent it perfectly so she looks like a bad-ass bride, but not a gothic one. She has a mixture of soft and sharp features. When she smiles it lights up the room.

Then, I remember, that she is me. I wonder if that's how Tobias sees me.

"Thank you so so much," I say to Christina, my voice as genuine as it can get.

She smiles as wide as all of Chicago. She hugs me, and I squeeze back just as hard. Christina really is the best. "You're welcome. Besides, I've got to recruit you for when Will proposes to me." Then she checks her watch. "Now let's go get you married."

She pulls apart from the hug and takes my hand, leading me to the tiny chapel Dauntless has to offer. As she tugs on my hand to speed us up, I'm glad I'm not in heels. Christina shoves me into the elevator and soon we're on the glass building's top story.

Christina runs off to get rings. She comes back with a set of silver and black ones.

"Pick one," she encourages.

I hold up my hand. "I'm staying with mine."

Christina nods, like she knew that was the answer all along. But she looks disappointed. She slams her foot into the floor, making her heel wobble. Groaning, she says, "You guys are no fun! Are you sure you don't want the cool black onyx one? How about the diamond? Or the ones with carved flames all around the edges?"

I shake my head slowly. "Although...Four might like the black band."

Christina sighs. "Oh, alright. But I'll make up for this simplicity at the party."

I grin. "Just you wait 'till your wedding."

Christina squeals at that. "I know it's so long away and he hasn't proposed yet, but I know he will, and when he does, I'll be _so_ ready!"

I nod and Christina runs off to get Tobias' wedding ring and the papers for us to sign.

She comes back a few minutes later.

"Terry guessed on Four's size, but he has pretty big fingers. Besides, we can always get him fitted for a new one if it's not the right size."

"That's probably what size he is anyways."

"Great."

A minute later, Christina squeals when Tobias walks in with Harrison, who immediately smiles up at me.

I feel my lips turn upwards nervously.

Then Tobias walks over to me, pulling me closer to him with his arm around my waist.

"Who's your witness?" I whisper to him.

Then, as if on cue, Zeke runs in. "I'm here!" he yells excitedly. He and Tobias are matching, except for the fact that Zeke's shoelaces are undone, his shirt is wrinkled, his hair is tossled, and his vest is undone, making his entire black look like he took them out of the dumpster, making him look...almost hot. But who am I to say anything like that? Today is my chance to become Tobias'. Today is my chance to shine.

Christina clears her throat, eyeing Zeke, as if to say_ 'Really? You think you can get away with not combing your hair at my best friend's wedding?'_ She pulls a portable comb out of her purse and runs it through Zeke's hair.

When she's down, Harrison grins slightly at me, again. "Can we begin?"

Christina squeezes my hand and says 'yes' eagerly for the rest of us,

Harrison clears his throat and begins: "We are gathered here in the marriage of Tris and Four. May we honor their bravery and continue to strive as Dauntless members throughout the rest of their lives, and be faithful to each other through marriage."

We bow our heads as he reads the manifesto.

"We believe that cowardice is to blame for the world's injustices. We believe that peace is hard-won, that sometimes it is necessary to fight for peace. But more than that: We believe that justice is more important than peace. We believe in freedom from fear, in denying fear the power to influence our decisions. We believe in ordinary acts of bravery, in the courage that drives one person to stand up for another. We believe in acknowledging fear and the extent to which it rules us. We believe in facing that fear no matter what the cost to our comfort, our happiness, or even our sanity. We believe in shouting for those who can only whisper, in defending those who cannot defend themselves. We believe, not just in bold words but in bold deeds to match them. We believe that pain and death are better than cowardice and inaction because we believe in action. We do not believe in living comfortable lives. We do not believe that silence is useful. We do not believe in good manners. We do not believe in empty heads, empty mouths, or empty hands. We do not believe that learning to master violence encourages unnecessary violence. We do not believe that we should be allowed to stand idly by. We do not believe that any other virtue is more important than bravery."

There's silence in the air for a moment, before he whispers, "Four, are you ready?"

Tobias nods. He takes my hands, slipping the ring off of it and giving it to Zeke to hold.

"Repeat after me," Harrison begins, "I, Four."

"I, Four."

"Take, you, Tris, to be my lawfully wedded wife."

"Take, you, Tris, to be my lawfully wedded wife."

"To have and to hold from this day forward."

"To have and to hold from this day forward."

"For better, for worse."

"For better, for worse."

"For richer, for poorer."

"For richer, for poorer."

"In sickness and in health."

"In sickness and in health."

"Until death do us part."

"Until death do us part."

Zeke gives Tobias the ring, and he slips it back onto my finger.

"Your turn," he whispers.

Harrison coughs lightly. Then he looks up. "Tris, are you ready?"

I nod.

"I, Tris."

"I, Tris."

"Take, you, Four, to be my lawfully wedded husband."

"Take, you, Tobias," I lean in closer and whisper to him. "To be my lawfully wedded husband."

"To have and to hold from this day forward."

"To have and to hold from this day forward."

"For better, for worse."

"For better, for worse."

"For richer, for poorer."

"For richer, for poorer."

"In sickness and in health."

"In sickness and in health."

"Until death do us part."

"Until death do us part."

I take Tobias' ring from Christina and put in on his finger. It fits perfectly.

Tobias and I catch each other's gaze and we smile.

Harrison finishes with an oath. "May death nor abandoning a faction keep your love from ending."

"Amen," Christina says shakily. Tears must be running down her face. Christina always was the emotionally strong, though sentimental, one out of all our friends.

"Amen." Zeke says, taking a cue from Christina.

"Amen," Harrison finishes. "Four, you may now kiss the bride."

Tobias wraps his arms around me and I literally jump into his arms.

Christina claps and squeals, her tears now gone. And as for Zeke, well...he wolf whistles loudly, and shouts, "You da man, Four!"

Tobias and I laugh lightly.

Harrison smiles up. "Congratulations." He turns to leave, but turns back after a few steps. "Oh, and Tris, you start back working next Thursday. Enjoy your holiday."

"Thanks," I manage, before Tobias' lips find mine again.

* * *

After the ceremony, Christina boots Tobias and me into our apartment for an hour while she and Marlene set up for the party.

Once Tobias unlocks the door, he can't keep his lips unlocked from mine.

I eventually push him away. "You're amazing you know?"

"Mhmm..." he says, before pushing me back against the door.

"To-" I start to say, but he wraps his arms around me and pushes our lips together. Then I break apart. Tobias breathes deeply. "Tobias, it's time to go."

"Why go?" he asks, looking into my eyes. "When we can stay here and party ourselves?"

"Tobias, you know I'm not comfortable with this! And especially not since...since..."

"Since you were attacked. I know it scares you Tris, and you don't have to get over that quite just yet, but, don't you think it's time you started talking to a counselor?"

"What? So you think I'm officially crazy and need a Shrink?!"

"No, you just need someone that will listen. I would, and I would also take the time off of work, but you need someone that doesn't just agree with you on everything; you need someone that will help you understand that what you're going through is okay. Someone that will help you figure it out, and maybe even tell you that you should be changing a few things. You need someone else to rely on. Your friends and I have schedules. We're all willing to help you, but you need to find someone else to talk to for now while we figure things out."

I sigh, and nod in defeat. "You're right. Change is just...difficult."

Tobias smiles. He opens the door. "We'll get through it, soon, Mrs. Eaton."

I giggle at his nickname for me, then he drapes his arm across my shoulder and we walk to Christina's apartment.

"I'll get it!" a girly yell says, once we get to Christina's apartment. "Tris! Four! Welcome!" Marlene squeals. "Congratulations!"

"Thanks," Tobias answers for the both of us.

"Well, come in," she motions. Then she turns away from us. "Guys! They're here!"

"Surprise!" Uriah says from the couch. One of his hands is wrapped around a beer can and the other is tucked in a potato chip bag.

"Uriah!" Christina scolds. "I told you, no alcoholic drinks! We aren't gonna make Tris feel insecure about that!"

Already I do. Dr. Everest told me I can't drink alcohol during the pregnancy, and I never really thought about it before, but it doesn't really make sense now: I doubt that most pregnant Dauntless women give up beer or wine or liquor for nine months.

But then again, already I feel at home. All of my friends love each other and get on each others' nerves at the same time.

Then Shauna squeals. She runs up to me, and spins me around. "I'm so so happy for you! I can't believe that the first jumper just got married to the guy that taught me how to throw knifes after hours in the training room!"

I pat her back lightly. "Thanks," I laugh weakly. "You gonna let me breathe now?"

"What? Oh, yeah. Sorry." She pulls back and gives me a toothy grin. The door bell rings, and Shauna turns to the door. "Lynn," she shouts. "That better be you back with that cake!"

So far, married life isn't too bad, with Tobias and all my friends to help me through this bump in the road...

* * *

**A/N Does anyone think the rating should be changed?**


	14. Chapter 14

**Tris POV:**

A few minutes into our delightful conversation about how to evenly divide the cake in front of us so Uriah and Zeke are satisfied, the doorbell rings again.

Christina opens it this time.

"Alexis! You came! Tris has been wondering where you were!"

I stand up. "Alexis, good to see you."

"Tris!" she squeals. "Congrats! My golly, I can't believe you're married! So how is it? Married life, I mean. 'Cause that'll be Jack and me in a month! You're coming to our wedding right? It'll be the party of the century! Aside from yours, I mean. Ooh, are those your friends? Well, introduce me!"

I tap Christina's shoulder. "Maybe you should go get drinks for everyone. This is gonna take a while."

* * *

I never back out of a dare. Never. Ever. So when Zeke dared me to throw knives at Tobias' head, I immediately got up to go to the Training Room.

"Come on," I say to Tobias.

He immediately gets up and follows me out the door, Zeke trailing behind.

"Zeke? What are you doing here?" I question.

He shrugs. "Just making sure that you do the dare and not just make out with big shot Four over here."

Tobias rolls his eyes, clearly annoyed.

When we get to the Training Room, I flip on the light switch and go to the knives that are laid out for target practice. I pick the smallest one up and fit it into my hand, then move a size up, seeing that I had mistakenly grabbed a child's size knife. The next one fits snugly into my hand. I squeeze it for good measure, then turn back to the targets.

Tobias is standing in front of it, his head towering over the top of it, just I remember Al's did. I suck in a sharp breath of air. Not now Tris. Anytime but now. I take a deep breath, and concentrate on what's in front of me: Tobias is standing easily with his hands in his pockets, top button of his shirt unbuttoned and his black tie loose around his neck.

Sexy.

He stands laughing with Zeke, who's obviously telling a funny story, most likely about Uriah. I grin evilly as a thought pops into my mind. Then I throw a knife at Tobias' head.

It nicks his ear.

"Fuck," I see Tobias mouth. He feels his ear and blood dyes his fingertips red. Then he turns and grins at me.

Zeke, by now, is laughing. His back is arched, and his face is red. Once he recovers, he grins back and forth from Tobias to me, then to Tobias. Then back to me again, "Bloody hell, Tris! Who taught you how to do that?"

I smile. "Four did actually."

"Really?" He turns to Tobias, who's staring into my eyes, but nods anyways.

"Yes she did."

They immediately launch into a conversation about last year's-my group-of initiates.

I clear my throat. "Can we go back to the party now?"

Tobias nods and walks back to Christina's apartment, his hand in mine.

Zeke follows us back, attempting to make a love poem about us: "Tris and Four...they want more...of each other! Help me mother!"

I laugh at that, which makes Tobias chuckle. "Idiot," he whispers. I laugh even harder. When I turn to Tobias, he kisses my cheek and smiles.

"How are you?" he asks.

I shrug. "Happily wed."

"Apart from that, I mean."

"Happy. Sad. Glad that this is happening to me, with some of the best people I know to help me celebrate."

"Same here," he says, before kissing my forehead and opening Christina's apartment.

"Surprise!" everyone shouts when we step past the doorframe.

"Aw, darn! I missed it! Thanks a lot guys!" Zeke says, striding past us to sit close to Shauna, who's smiling as happily as can be.

And so is everyone else. Christina and Alexis are holding a bigger version of the cake that we already had, this one decorated with gray and black frosting, and white piping says Four+Tris Forever. Marlene is swatting away Uriah's hand, which has a chunk of frosting on one finger. And Will is taking a picture of Tobias' and my expressions.

I smile even further. "Thanks guys!"

Tobias looks at the cake. "Are those flames along the edges? I didn't know the cooks could decorate so well."

"Actually," Christina says. "This morning I got a guy from Amity to come to the artwork on the cake. He said he knew you, Tris."

"What was his name?"

"Robert. Robert...Black. Yes, that's it. Robert Black."

"Ah, yes. He and I were friends growing up."

Christina tilts her head to the side and smiles. "That's sweet. He was so happy to hear that it was you he would be decorating the cake for. Then I told him you were getting married and he just smiled in contempt. Those Amity, you can never tell what their true feelings are since they're always smiling." Then she clears her throat. "So who wants cake?"

* * *

We sit down to our cake a few minutes later, huddled around Christina's tiny living room.

"So," Will says, still swallowing a piece of cake. "Jack, what do you do?"

Jack. I'd forgotten Jack. He seemed to blend into our group of friends pretty well by staying quiet and laughing or smiling at appropriate times. He's Alexis' fiancé, and she's sitting on his lap now, munching on cake. They look perfect for each other.

When Jack answers, he snaps m back to reality. "I'm a weapons tester. I essentially try them out before we send them out to the city for the security force in the city and guards at the fence."

"Interesting," Will claims. "So how does that-"

Will keeps talking, but I stop listening.

Tobias rubs circles into my back as I lean into him. He puts his arm around my shoulder, and I yawn.

"Tired?" he asks.

I nod slowly.

"I think Tris and I will be leaving soon," he announces.

"Not yet," Christina says decisively. "We still need to toast you two and play a game of 'Would You Rather' Dauntless style." Then she stands up and goes to the kitchen, coming back with what looks like an ice-cold bottle of sparkling cider. She pops off the top, and it fizzes, causing erupting bubbles to overflow the bottle.

"Will! Get a towel!" she screams. Then she turns to me and grins.

Will comes back with a towel and mops the fizzing cider from her carpet. Then he goes into the kitchen and brings back champagne glasses. Christina fills them all up, then passes them out to everyone.

"To Four and Tris!" she shouts, her glass high up in the air.

"To Four and Tris!" everyone else around us yells back.

Tobias kisses me full on then we clink glasses and do it with everyone else.

Everyone claps and the room has suddenly transformed into a bunch of Amity. Then Christina quiets everyone down. "Shall we play Would You Rather?"

People nod in agreement and Uriah shouts. "I'll go first!"

"No, Tris will!" Marlene says.

Uriah grumbles, disappointed.

"Okay, Tris," Christina says looking on at me. "Go."

My eyes quickly scan the room. Then I smile at Tobias. "Four, would you rather...go zip lining or hang over the Chasm for five minutes?"

Tobias grins evilly at me. He knows that I know the answer. "Hang over the Chasm."

"Drag," I mutter. Then I clear my throat. "Your turn."

"Zeke," he says after a moment of silence. "Would you rather give up cake or beer for a year?"

"Beer," Zeke says, as if it's the most obvious thing in the world.

"I'd like to see you try," Shauna says.

"Oh, really?"

"Yes really. I'll make a bet with you: if you give up beer for a week, I...I'll..." She whispers into his ear.

He smiles so big I'm afraid his face is gonna pop. "Really?"

"Yes really. But only if you don't drink beer this week."

"Does scotch count?"

"Hmm...not alcohol. Period. This week only. But if we lose, you have to come shopping with me next Saturday."

Zeke thinks about this for a minute, then he holds his hand out and Shauna grasps and shakes it.

"Ow, you have a strong grip," he tells her.

"Wimp."

Uriah groans. "Can we get on with the game?"

"Yeah," Christina says. Then she gets up. "More cake anyone?"

Everyone nods and she takes their plates and goes into the kitchen.

"Okay...Marlene." Zeke says.

She perks up, glad to be a part of the game.

"Would you rather be with Eric or me?"

Uriah's not happy by this question. "Hey! Whoa, whoa, whoa! She's with me! Not you! Not Eric! Me! Ain't that right baby?" His grip around her waist tightens.

Marlene kisses his cheek. "Neither. But if I had to choose...you. Eric's just...terrible."

I stuff my face into Tobias' shoulder and he puts his arm around me. I feel his eyes beating down on Zeke for mentioning Eric.

Zeke blushes. "Sorry Tris. Moving on...Your turn Marlene."

"Lynn," she says. "Would you rather grow your hair out or have Christina and I give you a makeover?"

"Grow my hair out," she grumbles.

Then Christina comes back and passes plates of cake out to everyone.

"Umm...Alexis. Would you rather not talk for a day or not listen?"

Alexis pouts. "Not...listen," she says after a while. Then, as if to prove her point, she launches into a conversation about how she played this game back home in Candor and everyone would tell if you told the truth or not.

Christina clears her throat again.

Alexis stops talking. "Sorry, I just got carried away." She laughs nervously. "I do that a lot, don't I Jack?"

He nods silently.

"Anyways," Alexis says, getting back on topic. "Will, would you rather pick your faction when you're really young or have someone pick it for you?"

"Um, pick it at a young age," Will says. "Uriah. Would you rather lick a dog's arse or give up cake for a month?"

"Lick a dog's butt," Uriah replies.

"Ew!" Marlene says, grossed out.

Uriah rolls his eyes. "Well I'm not prepared to give up cake..." Then he turns to Christina, "Christina, would you rather be ugly and wear makeup or be pretty and never wear makeup."

"Darn it! Why do you give me the hard ones? Um, I want to be pretty. Maybe then it'll take me less time to get ready in the mornings!"

"That's the spirit," Marlene says. She high fives Christina, who then turns to Jack. "Jack, would you rather wait a year to get married, or get married right now?"

"Right now," he says. Then Alexis kisses him, and we all sigh.

Then I remember that that was me, just over two hours ago. That was me being wed to Tobias and kissing on the top story of the Glass Building. That was me being the happiest girl alive.

And I'm still a girl, even if these events are turning into memories right before my eyes.

* * *

**A/N Does anyone have any ideas for a title? I...wasn't really thinking when I came up with the one now. I just thought that it would be a story of Tris connecting the changing events in her Dauntless lifestyle with the memories that she formed in Abnegation. And (I feel that) it doesn't really fit...^_^ Thx guys!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Tris POV:**

Later that night, Tobias and I find that we cannot fall asleep. So he takes my hand, and leads me to the Chasm.

When we get to our special rock, I lean into him. He wraps his arms around my shoulders. I shiver, and he gives me his coat.

But I shake my head. How am I supposed to tell him that I'm shivering out of fear? Am I even supposed to? He knows that today brought back so many memories, but what he knows barely scratches the surface.

Tobias is right; it's time for me to get some help.

* * *

The next morning, Tobias shakes me awake.

"Tris...Tris...Tris, wake up!"

I shoot out of bed. "What is it?"

"Get up; we're going to Amity for a week."

"Am I still dreaming?"

He shakes his head. "I took a week off of work for this."

I sigh and tuck a piece of hair behind my ear. Ever since Christina took me to get it cut short, I feel like it's helped me to move on. So I get out of bed and successfully pack a duffel bags with a few changes of clothes and toiletries, just the bare necessities, before my stomach pounds in agony. A wave of nausea hits me and I stumble into the bathroom. I bend my mouth over the toilet and prepare for the worst.

"Tris, do you know where my backpack is?" Tobias calls out.

I vomit in response.

"Tris?" Then he runs over to the bathroom, "Tris, you've gotta tell me when you feel sick. Then I don't feel like a cruel husband for leaving you here."

I stick my tongue out at him and he just smiles. He bends out and sticks out his arm. I take it and he pulls me up.

"Be prepared to leave in a few minutes," he says, before turning on his heels and walking off. I stand up and stretch, walking over to the sink. I rinse my mouth then brush my teeth, and soon I feel as good as new.

Then I walk out of the bathroom and pack a few extra things before changing out of my pajamas (Tobias' oversized shirt) and heading out of the apartment to get some breakfast.

"Tris!" a voice squeals once I step foot into the Pit. "You didn't tell me you were still here!"

I walk up to Christina. "Who told you we were going away for a week?"

She hugs me. "Four," she says, once she pulls away. "He's been planning it for a while now." She clears her throat, making it clear that she let out a secret she shouldn't have. "So, how are you?"

"Fine," I say, before grabbing a muffin and picking off the top of it, every now and then putting a small gob of it in my mouth. "How about you?"

"Fine." Then she presses, "How's married life? Is Four any sweeter than he already is? Has he tried to, you know, yet?"

"Christina," I hiss. "Not now. Not ever, in fact. You of all people should know not to talk to me about that." I stand up.

Christina does as well. "I'm sorry, I just forgot that-"

"Forgot what? That you have to be gentle around me? I'm not a child, I'm an adult." Then I march away, but pause after going a few metres. I turn back to her. "Oh, and by the way, married life is perfect." Then I walk away. I hear her call after me, but I ignore the calls and let the doors to the Pit that I slam echo her out.

When I get back to the apartment, I hand Tobias a muffin and sit down on the bed, agitated.

"Tris," he says. "First off, thanks. Second-"

"Second, I'm not in the mood to talk," I say, clearly annoyed, before shoving my face into a pillow so he won't see my tears.

But what I forget is that he's now my husband, and it's my job to let him see the tears then help me.

I've got to try harder at being a good wife.

After a minute, I feel a warm hand press lightly on my back. "Tris," he whispers. "I know it's hard, but just try."

I sit up and face him.

Once he sees the confused look on my face, he explains. "Tris, I know it'll be hard to move on. But you've got to at least try. Everyone is here to help you-"

"You don't understand," I say, interrupting him. "Christina asked if we, you know."

He sucks in a quick breath of air and sighs. "I'm sure she didn't mean it that way. Maybe she's just trying to help you move on."

Then I explode. "What is it with this 'move on and let others help you' crap? I'm sick of it! Why can't anyone understand that I. Just. Want. To. Be. Left. Alone?! It's not like anyone else has been through this!"

"Tris-"

But I don't let him continue. "Tobias, I love you with all my heart, but let me deal with this the way I want to!"

"You know," he says, leaning closer to me. "You're sexy when you're mad."

I literally spring into his arms and kiss the world out of him. Then I break apart, and we both start panting.

I bury my face in his shoulder, my new favorite position. "I'm sorry," I whisper.

"For what? No one understands what you're going through, and we all think that our own ways to help you are best. But you can only do what you want to." Then he kisses the tip of my nose and stands up. "Besides, Dr. Everest said that it's normal for someone in your position to be going through something like this."

"You ready to go?" he asks a few minutes later.

I nod.

* * *

As soon as we jump off the train, I'm hit with a bucolic feeling. Already Amity seems so peaceful, even if all I see so far is a gate before the view of a rural farm.

"This way," Tobias states. I would take his hand, but since he won't let me carry my own bag, both of his hands are already full.

When we get to the gate, Tobias approaches a small metal box on the right side of the gate and opens it, revealing a keypad.

"Let's hope the Erudite didn't change this combination since I switched jobs," he mutters as he types in a series of numbers. He stops at the eighth one and the gate clicks open.

I follow him wordlessly as we walk into Amity, a place unlike anything I've ever seen in Chicago.

Johanna Reyes, Amity's representative sits on a blanket, taking in the sunny, though chilly, day. She follows a flock of geese, and when they come in our direction then travel out of view, she smiles. "You know," she says, grinning at us. "Those birds have the right idea." She stands up and folds the blanket effortlessly. "They travel north, we travel inside. Now follow me. You two must be freezing."

We follow her into a building that has just about everyone in Amity eating lunch. The room is full of laughter and smiles, with some chatting away and kids playing 'Patty-Cake.' Johanna leads us to a buffet line and we pick up trays and fill our plates with cheese sandwiches of weird tasting bread and apple slices. Then we are led to an empty table.

"So," Johanna says, smiling again once we are seated. "I'm glad you found your way here safely. Now later, I've planned for-Oh, Tris, whatever is the matter?"

I stare down at my untouched tray and shrug.

"Tris, you've got to eat," Tobias says.

"I'm not hungry," I murmur, and bury my face in my hands.

"I'm sorry, umm..." Tobias starts.

"Johanna," she says. "Call me Johanna."

"Right, _Johanna_," he says uncomfortably. "I'm sorry, I know you had plans for us, but is there somewhere where Tris can take a nap? She's...been feeling tired lately."

"Of course," she says, standing up. She walks away and comes back a minute later with a mug. "Drink this," she tells me. "It will help you feel better."

I drink the pink liquid, and immediately notice that it tastes like strawberries, before Tobias is guiding me into a room and onto a bed.

* * *

An eternity later, a large figure shakes me awake.

"Tris," Tobias says. "It's time for our tour."

I sit up and rub my eyes. Then I see a long-lost friend of mine. "Ah!" I shriek. "_Robert_," I hiss. "Why are you _here_?"

"I'm here to show you and your," he tilts his head at Tobias, obviously not approving of him. "husband around the compound for the duration of your stay." He gets up and smiles, pointing to the door. "If you will, follow me."

"I didn't realize you two were married until two days ago when I decorated a cake for you. Did you like it?" Robert asks me stiffly, as he leads us down a long hallway.

"It was beautiful," I gush. Tobias takes my hand, and Robert eyes him cautiously.

"Aren't you Marcus Eaton's son?"

"Call me Four."

"Yes, of course," Robert says. But by the way he says it, he's suspicious. He turns the corner and we follow suit. "So Beatrice," he says, wanting to start more conversation.

But I stop him from taking it any further. "Call me Tris, please."

"Okay, then. Tris, how do you like Dauntless? I haven't seen you for over a year now. I believe the last time I saw you was during your initiation, when you came out with your friends to visit the fence guards. Actually, I remember Four being there too. Weren't you?"

"Yes," Tobias says. "But those weren't our 'friends', they were last year's initiates. And we didn't come to 'visit and strike up a conversation,' I came to show them that if they didn't get in the top five, then they would most likely work there."

"Top five? You mean...you mean that in Dauntless you're ranked?"

"Of course," Tobias responds, looking confused. "Doesn't Amity?"

"No," Robert say defensively. "In Amity, everyone is welcome."

"Well, in Dauntless, only ten initiates become members each year."

"Why?"

Tobias shrugs. "They want the best of the best...only the ones that fit in...don't want to risk it becoming overpopulated..." he trails off into thought.

"Well, big-shot Four, Amity is so much more fair! I don't see why any hooligans would want to live in Dauntless! Beatrice, how could you become one of them?!"

I glare at him. "Robert, be nice. Besides, why should we live in Amity?"

"To live in harmony, peace, live a life of tranquility out of harm's way in the city. There are a lot of reasons."

"A lot of reasons that there are four other factions," I remind him.

Then I glare at him. "Now could you show us back to our room, please?"

"I would, but we haven't even started the tour yet and-"

"Could you take us back to our room please?!" I repeat, raising my voice.

He won't look me in the eyes. "Mrs. Reyes made it very clear that after the tour, we were to join into Amity's daily religious ceremony then you two were to go off to counseling."

I look to Tobias and groan. "How many more days are we here again?"

* * *

**A/N Any ideas for how the next chapter should go?**

**Thanks for the ideas, White Fox XD! I loved all of them, but after considering them very thoroughly during math class, I based the new title off of all of them!**

**Thx again for all of the support! This story is by far the fun-est to write when I have your attention and it doesn't get boring (I hope...)!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Tris POV:**

"We believe in a God who gives peace and cherishes it," the gray-haired woman speaks. "So we give peace to each other, and cherish it."

I wouldn't normally hear that as a cue, but the Amity seem to. They all begin to move at once, finding someone across the circle and clasping hands with them. When everyone is paired off, they stand for several seconds, looking at each other. Some of them mutter a phrase, some smile, some remain silent and still, like Tobias. Then they break apart and move to someone else, performing the same series of actions again.

I have never seen an Amity religious ceremony before. I am only familiar with the religion of my parents' factions, which part of me still holds on to and the other rejects the foolishness-the prayers before dinner, the weekly meetings, the acts of service, the poems about a selfless God. This right here in front of my is different, something mysterious.

"Come and join us," the gray-haired woman from before says to me. It takes me a few seconds to realize that she's talking so me. She beckons to me, smiling.

"Oh no," I say. "I'm just-"

"Come," she repeats, and I feel like I have no choice be to walk forward and stand among them.

She approaches me first, clasping my hand. Her fingers are dry and rough, just like the bark of the tree orchards that we stand next to. Her eyes seek mine, persistent, though I feel strange meeting her gaze.

Once I do, the effect is immediate and peculiar. I stand still, and every part of me is still, like it weighs more than it used to, only the weight is not unpleasant. Her eyes are brown, the same shade throughout, and unmoving. "May the peace of God be with you," she says, her voice soft and low. "Even in the midst of trouble."

"Why would it?" I whisper back. "After all I've done..." I stare at my stomach.

She smiles apologetically at where my eyes are pointing to in understanding. "It isn't about you. It is a gift. You cannot earn it, or it ceases to be a gift."

She releases me and moves on to someone else, but I stand outstretched, alone. Someone moves to take my hand, but I withdraw it from the group, first at a walk, then at a run.

I sprint into the trees, but bump into someone.

"Sorry!" I squeak, as I fall to the mossy ground.

"No; I should have been more careful," his familiar voice says. He helps me up, but I just plop back down onto the nearest tree trunk. I bury my face in my hands, trying to fight off tears.

But they fight me back.

Soon I'm bawling into Tobias' shoulder.

"I'm such a failure," I scream.

"No you're not."

"Yes I am! Why else would something like this happen to me?!" Then I'm overcome by more tears.

"Tris, calm down," he says gently.

I hear commotion, and the sounds of people whispering. Then I'm stood up and someone looks at me pitifully before giving me a shot in the arm.

Then I'm on cloud nine.

Tobias steadies me as I skip into a room labeled 'Conflict Room' that is all wooden, floor, walls, ceiling, everything, making it more compact than it already is. I can feel Tobias weakening; one of his fears is of small spaces.

"How do you feel?" a man asks.

"Happy," I say dreamily. I try to fight off whatever serum they gave me, but it's nice to feel happy. Apart from Tobias and I getting married, I haven't been happy in a long time.

"Are you calm?" he inquires further.

"Ow!" I shout suddenly. "Why's your grip so tight?"

"I can't release you until you're calm."

"I'm ca-alm!" I say, in a sing-songy voice. I sway a little bit and hum a tune. Then I turn to him and smile, "How are you?"

"Dizziness is a side effect of the serum. You may want to rest this afternoon." Then he stares at my stomach. "This was tested in Erudite, so I'm sure that it was safe for you. And I'm feeling well. Thank you for asking." He turns to Tobias. "You two can leave now. Although Ms. Reyes would like to see you for counseling."

"C'mon!" I shout happily to Tobias. He gets up and leads me to Johanna's office.

"I'm not very nice, am I?" I ask him.

He shrugs. "No one's perfect."

"Can I kiss you?"

"What kind of question is that? When you're feeling normal, I'll kiss you."

"Okay! Come on, let's skip!"

He walks behind me as I jump to Johanna's office.

Tobias is tired by the time we get there. He doesn't talk to me, and when we get to Johanna's office, he glares at her.

"Have a seat," she says warmly.

"I'm fine standing."

"Suit yourself. Now, how may I help you?"

He points at me. "Are you sure it was safe to give that 'happy stuff' to her?"

"I'll have you know that it's called Peace Serum," Johanna says. "And why do you ask?"

"Because she's-"

Oh, God. No, Not now. Not ever. She doesn't even need to know.

"-Pregnant."

"Oh!" she squeaks. "I'm sorry, I wasn't aware. But it should be fine. We've used that serum for ages, ever since the Erudite were so kind in creating it, and everyone who's used it has recovered well."

Thankfully, she let's the subject about me being, well, you know, drop, and moves on.

"Well, since you're here, we might as well get on with the counseling you two are meant for. And, if I may ask, is that why you two are here?"

"Why what?" Tobias asks.

"Because Beatrice is pregnant."

"Call me Tris," I inform her. "And for your information, it's not why. It's because it's not his baby. I was raped."

The room is silent for a minute. "And I've been having trouble...moving on."

"Well, that settles matters. And you seem to have recovered from your little episode earlier. Thank you for that." She stands up. "You two must be tired from a long day's work. I tell you what, we'll meet back here tomorrow morning, whenever you two are ready."

"Tris," Tobias whispers. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Fine," I say, giggling. Then I tilt my head, "Why do you ask?"

"You never tell anyone what happened, much less use the word rape."

I giggle. "C'mon, you can kiss me now!"

"I think you should go lie down for a bit."

"Tobias!" I squeal.

"Go back to our room."

"Now I know why you like me so much! It's because you're not nice either."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," he says flatly.

"Anytime! Now kiss me!"

"Oh, for goodness sakes, I'll just carry you."

* * *

That night, I'm too embarrassed to go to dinner, so I stay in our room.

"You need to eat Tris."

"Not hungry," I mumble back to Tobias.

"That's not an option and you know it."

"Fine." I heave myself off the bed and walk to the door, slipping on some shoes.

When we get to the dining hall, everyone stares at us. I glaze back awkwardly and people look away uncomfortably.

"Okay then," Tobias says. He sets down both of our trays, then sits down next to me.

We're sitting at the far back table. No one stares at us anymore, but some turn their heads awkwardly, then when they see us staring right back at them, they blush and look away, just like before.

I've never felt so uncomfortable in my life. Yes, my stomach is aching, but it's more than that.

I'm so glad I didn't choose to be Amity; I could never have lived this way.

I take a bite of food to please Tobias, then stand up. "Come on. We're going back to our room."

* * *

Two days later, we've gotten, as best as we can, into a routine of how the Amity live: we wake up early, eat breakfast early, have a small religious ceremony, go out to work at the orchards while the children go to school. Then Tobias and I go to counseling and eat dinner and go to our rooms for an hour. Johanna said that on Saturday nights there's a bonfire, which is our last night here. As for right now, I'm in counseling.

"And how do you feel?" the counselor says. All I know about her is that her name is Jennifer and she transferred from Candor

"What do you mean?"

"How do you feel, once you know what Eric's done to you?"

I shrug, and stare out the window.

"Do you like nature?"

"I guess."

"Let's go take a walk," she says. She stands up and gets a sweater. I follow her out the door.

"Do you like apples?" she asks, once we're outside.

"Yes, but only the tart ones."

She picks an apple from one of the trees in the orchard and hands it to me.

"Shouldn't it be washed?"

"It won't hurt you."

I stare at the ground as we walk.

"Hey, Tris, look at me," she says gently.

"I know you don't want to be here, but there are worse places right?"

I shrug. "I guess." I take a bite out of my apple. Jennifer's right, if this apple was washed, the taste wouldn't be there. This right here, this fruit in my hand, is what nature really is. And boy is it good.

"So, tell me what you're thinking," she says.

I shrug, for the sixteen-thousandth time. "About what my life will be like in a year."

"What do you imagine it like?"

"Four and I putting the child up for adoption in Abnegation, where my parents are."

"If Eric were here, how would he feel?"

I sit down at the base of a tree and sulk down into it. "He wouldn't care," I say miserably.

"Why do you think that is?"

I shrug, and turn away from her. If I cry in front of her, she'll tell Johanna and then I'll be sent to an even more focused group or given more Peace Serum.

"Tris?"

She must see my body shake, because I fell her arms around me.

Jennifer's not about to lock me up; she's giving me a hug.


	17. Chapter 17

**Tris POV:**

On Saturday night, Tobias and I are sitting back at our room, eager to get to bed early for our journey home the next day.

But we are soon interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Beatrice? Tobias?"

Tobias gets off the bed and opens the door to Robert.

"What do you want?" he asks slyly.

Robert just smiles at him. "Since this is your last night here, Johanna has invited you to our weekly bonfire. If you please, follow me."

Tobias looks to me and I shrug. "Couldn't hurt."

Robert smiles to me. "Nothing in Amity hurts, my dear."

I put on my shoes and push past him. "I am most certainly not your dear, Robert."

He shrugs. "Whatever you say Beatrice."

"Tris," I remind him. Then I take Tobias' hand and lead him out of our room and into the long hallway. The floors creak as Robert squeezes past us and guides us out the door and into the cold.

Tobias notices the goose bumps on my arms and gives me a jacket. Unfortunately, Robert also notices. He glares at Tobias and tells him that that is completely unnecessary.

"We'll be at the campfire in a minute anyways, and everyone gets hot there."

Tobias glares right back at him. "Well Tris will be warm until we get there then."

At that moment, Robert stops walking and in front of us is a bonfire, as big as a tree and as bright as the sun. Its flames flicker into the night sky and erupt into sparks. The Amity that sit around them are huddled in groups; some are singing cheery camp songs and others are chatting and roating marshamllows. Robert waves to Johanna and she stands up and smiles.

"Welcome," she gushes. "We were starting to wonder if you'd come or not."

"Well, here we are."

"Yes, yes, yes, come sit down."

We follow Johanna to the fire, and she sits down in the seat she was in before. Tobias and I sit down just to the right of her, and I brace myself for a night of shifting uncomfortably in a wooden bench. But as I sit down, the bench is warm and comfy. I look down and see that Tobias put his jacket down for me to sit on.

"Thanks," I whisper, "but you really didn't have to."

"'Course I did," he whispers back. "I'm your husband." And just like that, he kisses me. I slide into his lap and Robert groans and looks away. Then he stands up.

"I tried to warn you, Beatrice," he says. Robert shakes his head and signs. Then he walks away from us and toward his Amity friends.

There's an awkward silence between Tobias and I, up until the point where Johanna sits down next to us.

"I know this is going to sound cliché, but I'm very proud of you both," she tells us.

Tobias grips my hand tightly and smiles.

"Especially you, Tris," Johanna continues, "I'm very happy that you agreed to come to us with your problems. I'm positive that it will help you in the months to come."

"She's right," Tobias says when Johanna leaves the two of us to enjoy the night. "You did good here. You didn't complain, or say 'no' to what they had you do. In eight months, we'll have a kid that me may or may not put up for adoption, but either way, we're now prepared."

* * *

The next morning, we get up early and head back to Dauntless on the tracks.

"Goodbye Beatrice," Robert says, hugging me. "I'm sorry it had to end this way for us."

"What do you mean?"

"I always imagined you and I would marry in Abnegation when we were young."

"Yeah," I say after a while. "When we were kids, that's what I thought would always happen between us. And it might not have been that bad. But now that we're here, I think fate will decide what's best for us."

Robert releases from the hug and stares into my eyes. "Yes. You're right. Good luck with whatever you choose to do. I know that what you choose will be the right decision."

"Thanks, Robert."

"Bye, Beatrice."

I groan. "For the last time, it's Tris."

He smiles. "Goodbye Tris." The name sounds funny on his tongue, but I appreciate the effort.

"Bye Robert. And thanks again for everything."

He kisses my cheek and I take Tobias' hand. We jump onto the train not once looking back on Amity.

"Well, that was..." Tobias starts. But he cannot continue.

"Interesting," I finish.

"Yes." He clears his throat. "Definitely interesting..."

He rubs circles on my back and I lean into the firm cushioning that is on the seat we share. I stare out the window.

"Tobias," I whisper fiercely.

"Something on your mind?"

"Did we take the right train?"

"Of course," he says. "Train 12. It runs every morning, passing Candor around ten AM."

"Candor? We don't pass Candor usually; it's in the middle of the city, where we never usually go."

"Alright. In a minute, once we pass the marsh land, we'll jump off. We'll land in the middle of the city, but we can catch the next one and be on the way to Dauntless. With luck, we can get there by noon."

"Okay," I agree.

A minute later, we jump off, myself in Tobias' arms. He seems to not trust me much, especially since I'm a month into my pregnancy.

"Should we just wait here until the next train comes?" I ask.

But Tobias is out of sight.

"Tobias?" I look around the buildings that are surrounding me, and vaguely recognize them from my childhood, when my mother and I volunteered here. "The Factionless," I recall under my breath. I've got to get away; Eric could be anywhere.

Then I hear a recognizable voice. "Welcome to the Factionless, Tris."

I whip my head around. "Eric," I say, suddenly feeling smaller than ever.

He comes closer to me. I should get away, but I'm frozen in place. Eric snakes his hand around my waist. "How've you been Tris?"

I don't answer. Instead, I call out to Tobias. "Tobias!...Tobias!"

"He can't hear you," Eric whispers in my ear. His tongue lips my ear lightly and when I fidget, he laughs. "Tris, Tris, Tris. Your _husband_ won't come for you. He's not loyal. You should have someone loyal like me." Eric says it like he's the king of the world.

It only makes me fidget harder.

"Stop struggling!" Eric hisses.

"How do you know he's my husband?"

"I have my sources."

I gasp, "Peter."

Eric laughs. "I always knew you were smart love." He tucks a piece of hair behind my head.

_Play along Tris,_ I think to myself. _Then surprise him and kick his ass. Or, rather, wait for Tobias to come. You know you can't take down Eric by yourself, Tris._

I suck in a breath of air. "What do you want, Eric?" I ask, not struggling against his arms that have me pinned against the brick wall of an old abandoned building.

"I want you," Eric whispers to me.

I squeeze my eyes shut. This _can't_ be happening.

Eric lets go of me, then pulls me closer to him, his arm around my waist.

I gasp. "Stop," I whisper.

"What was that?" Eric asks innocently. "Tris," he moans, "I want you." Then he pulls out a knife. "I want you...and your baby to die." He sticks the knife in my stomach and my legs give out. I gasp in pain and groan as I fall to the ground.

Eric laughs and walks away. He lets the knife drop to the ground.

"T-Tob-" I start to call out, but I'm out of breath. "T-Tob..."

It's quiet for a minute, and my eyes are drooping, until someone comes running into view. "Tris!...Tris!" a voice calls out.

Tobias runs up to me. "Tris," he whispers. He leans down to me. "I'm here to save you."

* * *

**Tobias POV:**

"There," Evelyn says. "Your girl should be as good as new in a few days. Remind me again how this happened?"

"I have no idea. Tris and I got on the wrong train, so we decided to jump and wait for the next passing one to take us to Dauntless."

Evelyn lets out a short laugh that sounds accidental, like a cough. "So you decided to come here?"

"She wouldn't have made it to Dauntless."

"Why, Dauntless is only an hour away by train. She would have made it."

"Not necessarily. You know how the trains tend to run late. And you saw her; Tris was bleeding really badly."

Theresa walks up before Evelyn can respond to me. "Tobias, good of you to join us." Then she turns to Evelyn, "Someone raided our medical supply."

"Yes, I know," Evelyn says. "Tobias' friend-"

"Wife," I add. "She's my wife."

"Fine. Tobias' wife was injured just outside our building and needed help." Once Theresa leaves, Evelyn turns to me. "You should have told my you got married."

"Why?"

"Tobias, I'm your mother."

"No you're not. Ever since you left me with that...that beast, you've never been my mother!"

"Tobias, I had to get away."

"And what? It would arouse suspicions if I left with you?"

"Well," she says. "...yes. It would have."

"Also," I add. "You had an affair."

"Tobias," she says angrily. "I will not have this conversation with you now. But, while you're here, I know the chances are very slim, but I want you to know you always have a place here." Then she walks off.

I wipe sweat off my forehead angrily. "And I'll never take it!" I call back to Evelyn.

"Excuse me, do you know where Tris is?" I ask a woman who looks important around here.

"Tris?" she laughs. "There's no Tris here."

"She's new. Just came in this morning. Short, blond hair, knife in her gut...?

"Ah, yes. I remember now," she says. "Follow me."

She walks towards a set of bunk beds. "Right here," she says, pointing to one. "All we did was take out the knife and put stitches in her ribcage. She should be as good as new by tomorrow." Then she sees my expression. "Is anything wrong?"

"Tris is pregnant," I say. "Do you think she-"

"Had a miscarriage? Possibly," the woman answers. She laughs to herself. "Anything is possible around here."

She walks away and I sit down next to unconscious Tris. I brush a piece of hair out of her face and sigh. Sleep takes loads of stress off of a person's face.

"Four," a voice spits out. "Fancy seeing you here."

I look up. "Eric," I hiss. Then I stand up. Though I'm paying attention to his fiery eyes, I can tell that I'm still vaguely taller than him. "You. You did this to her!"

He shrugs. "Could be."

I punch his face and Eric spits out blood. "You wanna go there?"

"Yeah, I wanna go there."

A crowd gathers around us as Eric pushes up his sleeves and wipes blood off his chin.

"Eric! Tobias!" a voice pierces the silence, just as the collar of Eric's shirt is bunched up in my fists. Evelyn comes rushing towards us. "Eric, why don't you go take a walk? And Tobias? A word with you, in my office."

* * *

Evelyn's office turns out to be a small storage room that is barely big enough for two chairs. I have to duck the whole time we talk.

"Tobias," she says. "Go back to Dauntless."

"Funny. I thought you wanted me."

"I do. I just...have a feeling that you don't want to be here."

I let out a short laugh. "Got that right."

"Go," she says. "When the time is better, I may request your presence again." And with that, she stands up, kisses my cheek, and leaves me ducking in the storage closet.

When I get back to Tris' bunk, I find that Eric is still gone. He might not be for much longer, so I scoop Tris up in my arms and make a mad dash for the train tracks, hoping to God that Tris did not have a miscarriage.

* * *

**A/N Should Tris have a miscarriage? It scares me to write that, but...we've got to remember that Tris is seventeen and in no place to have an abortion.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Tobias POV:**

"Tris should be good to go in a week or so; we redressed her wounds and fixed up the stitches. She might be a bit pale from blood loss and all, though. And we'll make sure to do an ultrasound before she wakes up to see how the baby is," Christina says. Her nurse voice has the same tone as my instructor voice.

"So she'll be fine? Are you sure? Because the way the Factionless lady said what they did to her-"

"The Factionless?" Christina screams. "You took her to the Factionless?!"

Just then, Alisa walks in. "Christina," she hisses. "There are other patients that are trying to sleep."

"Sorry," Christina whispers back.

Alisa waves to me, then starts to walk off but looks back worriedly. "Is that Tris?"

I nod.

"Oh, my," Alisa says. "Are you two sure you've got everything under control?"

"We were getting to that," Christina says dismissively. "Goodbye." Then she sighs exasperated. "I'll call you when we're done okay? Tris is my best friend and it's important for me to do this now."

Alisa looks on to me with pity and walks off. I groan. I _hate_ pity. Hate it. And I mean _absolutely_ hate it.

Christina then clears her throat. "The Factionless?!" she repeats, quieter this time.

"Yeah."

"I can understand that you were trying to save Tris, but the Factionless?" Christina repeats it again, as if she can't believe it. "What were you thinking?! That could have gotten Tris killed, or hurt more, or...you took Tris to where Eric lives?!"

"I know it sounds strange, but Tris needed it. She lost so much blood and all I needed was for her to be stitched up and brought here."

Christina takes a deep breath. "Okay, fine. You win. And you're right: Tris wouldn't have survived the train ride back here. She would have died of blood loss. Remind me what happened again?"

I suck in a breath of air. It's not fun to tell how I let my wife get hurt. "Do you think she had a miscarriage?" I ask, once I'm done telling Christina what happened.

"It's possible," Christina says sadly. "With the kind of damage done to her intestines, ribcage, and spleen that could very well be the case. In a minute we'll give Tris an ultrasound and see. Would you like to help wheel her into that room and out of the ICU?"

I nod. From now on until the birth, Tris will always be in my sight.

Christina unlocks the wheels and has me push the bed towards the door. We wheel Tris down a long hallway that makes the moment feel longer than it is.

"Okay," Christina says. "Four, if you please lock the wheels, I'll turn the machine on."

"Yeah," I say. "Anything else?"

She shakes her head and plugs in the system. I turn my back as Christina undoes the buttons on Tris' dress and puts bright blue goo on Tris' belly and waves a metal wand over it.

Christina takes a deep breath and looks to the screen, where my eyes are focused on. "Oh, my..."

* * *

"Is it okay to come in?" Christina asks, her voice muffled from the door.

I open it. "Yeah," I say tiredly. "Tris is resting."

Christina walks in with Will. She closes the door and sets her purse down. "You look hungry," she says, giving me a cardboard-takeout box from the Pit.

"How'd you know?"

She shrugs. "Stress takes a lot out of men: energy and hunger for example."

"Thanks," I say. Then I stuff my face with the burger Christina got me.

"How is she?" Will asks.

I swallow my food, hoping to pass the time for as long as I can before answering. "Same as she was an hour ago," I say, squeezing Tris' hand. I sniffle a tear, hoping no one noticed, but Christina did.

"Hey," she says gently. "It's not your fault."

"Yes it is," I say firmly. "I got us on the wrong train. I said we should jump off and try to catch the next one to Dauntless. Heck, I was the one that practically led her to her own death!"

"Tris is not dead," Christina says back, just as firmly. "She'll be fine. And so will you, Four."

I close my eyes. "I'm sorry. I just...I just can't believe this is actually happening. Tris should be napping in our bed now, not lying in her death bed in the infirmary!"

Christina stands up. "Tris is not going to die," she says angrily. "Maybe if you keep telling yourself that, she will. But as far as I'm concerned, Tris is not lying on her death bed. She's very healthy, aside from the fact that she got a knife stabbed in her gut!" She glares at me. "Go. Take a walk, get a beer, whatever. I don't want Tris to wake up and see you like this. Any minute now, she'll wake up from the anesthesia, and when she does, I do not want her witnessing yourself freaking out."

"Please," I say. "Let me stay. I could never forgive myself if Tris wakes up knowing that I nearly killed her and just walked away."

Christina shakes her head. "No," she says gently. "Go. I'll have Will get you if she wakes up while you're gone."

I groan and shake my head, exasperated. Then I walk out of the room, leaving my freak attack and burger behind.

* * *

**Christina POV:**

"Tris is a great friend, isn't she?"

I nod and stare at the ground.

"You know, Christina," Will continues. "you were a bit harsh on Four. I know you mean well, but think if you were him in this situation: your spouse was badly injured. Don't you think you'd want to stay by their side?"

I nod glumly, while I twist my ring furiously on my finger. "Yeah, it's just that...Tris is our friend and I'm trying as hard as I can to help her. I get your point, Four could have been acting up out of stress...but what if there's more to it?"

"I dunno Christina," he says back. "Maybe you're overreacting."

I sit up. "_Or_ Four is stressed out not only about Tris' condition, but maybe he's also worried because she's pregnant and he's not ready."

"She's not even ready. Neither of them are, it was just so...unexpected."

"Will, can you keep a secret?" I ask.

He nods. "Of course."

"Eric did this to Tris today."

Will's eyes go wide. "But I thought he was-"

"Factionless. I know. They got on the wrong train and decided to jump off and take the next one, but had a little encounter with Eric."

Will gasps. "That's terrible."

I nod, but before I can say anything, I hear a wail.

"Was that Tris?" I whisper.

Another wail.

Will nods. "I'll go get Four."

"And I'll take care of Tris," I respond.

Will soon leaves and I wheel the stool I'm sitting on over to Tris. "Hey, girlie."

"My baby," she cries out.

"I know Tris, believe me, I know." I feel her forehead. Tris has a fever.

"Am I...am I in the infirmary?" she says quietly, with great pain.

I nod. "You were hurt badly."

"M-my baby..." she moans.

"Listen Tris," I say. "Doctor Everest is going to take a look at you, so just hold tight for a minute, okay? You'll feel better soon; just watch."

I press a button on the side of the bed. Doctor Everest comes rushing in. "Is she awake, Christina?"

I nod. "I'll step out of the room. She keeps moaning in pain." I walk out of the room and close the door behind me. I rub my eyes and sink to the floor. For once, I don't care if I ruin my makeup or look terrible, I just cry. I cry for Tris. She doesn't deserve this; she's so sweet and amazing and brave.

Eric needs payback.

I take a tissue out of my purse and blow hard into it. I throw it at the nearest trash can, not caring if it misses. It doesn't, even though I was never good at sports.

I continue to do this, and hopefully pass the time, until Will comes running in with Four by his side.

"How is she?" Four asks, his voice vaguely out of breath.

"Don't go in just yet," I stop him, "Doctor Everest is in there."

"Did she wake up yet?" he asks.

I nod. "But she kept moaning about her stomach."

"Oh, boy," he says, sliding down next to me.

A minute later, Doctor Everest comes out of the room. He looks at us sadly. "You all can go in-but no more; you might overwhelm her. Visiting hourse end at seven, and this time you have to follow the rules."

"Thanks, Doctor," I tell him, before rushing in to see Tris.

"Did you tell her yet?" Will whispers to me. I shake my head; I didn't have much time to say anything to her before I called in Doctor Everest.

"Tell her what?" Four asks me, from beside Tris.

I take in a deep breath as Tris looks at me expectantly. "Tris, there's something I should tell you..."


	19. Chapter 19

**Tris POV:**

"Tris," Christina says slowly. "There's something I should tell you..."

I suck in a sharp breath of air. This is it. This is Christina, a nurse, telling me I've had a miscarriage. A tear crawls down my cheek.

"Tris? Why are you crying?" Christina asks, suddenly panicked.

I wipe away a tear. "I know what you are going to say, Christina. I know; I've had a miscarriage."

She frowns. "That's not what I was gonna say." Then she turns to Tobias. "Where did Will go?"

Tobias shrugs. "I didn't see him leave."

"That's 'cause I'm right here," Will says. He's sitting down behind Christina.

"Will, stand up," Christina says. She clears her throat. "Now, as I was saying," she holds up her left hand.

I gasp.

"I was going to tell you that Will proposed while you and Four were on your honeymoon!" Christina shouts.

"Oh, my gosh! Christina, Will, that's great news!"

"I know, right?!" she yells back.

Then someone bursts through the door, not even bothering to knock.

"What is it?" Alisa asks frantically. She rushes over to me. "Tris, what's going on? Are you alright?"

I point to Christina. "Christina, tell Alisa the good news!"

Alisa looks on to Christina expectantly.

Christina grins so big I'm sure her jaw is gonna explode. "Will proposed!" she squeals.

Alisa squeals back. "That's great! Who are your bridesmaids? What about your maid of honor? Or the groomsmen?"

"Well, he only proposed last week, but I'm thinking you, Tris, Marlene, Shauna, and Lynn for bridesmaids. And Will hasn't said anything yet, but I have a feeling he'll pick Four, Uriah, and Zeke. Oh, then there's the flowers! And the linens for the tables and multi-colored ribbons to put on the backs of banquet chairs and we'll have to color-coordinate the hairpins for the bridesmaids and handkerchiefs for the groomsmen's breast pockets so they match. Then of course there's the dresses. We'll have everything match again, and it'll be a black and silver theme..."

Alisa looks on with interest, but I just lay my head back down on the starch white bed I'm on. Someone touches my hand, and when I turn to the right, I slip my hand into Tobias'.

He smiles sadly at me, then leans down to my ear. "I'm glad we didn't have a big wedding," he whispers so gently I wonder if I imagined it.

"Yeah. Christina's a great friend, but it can get a little overwhelming sometimes."

After everyone had left the room and only Tobias and I were left, I scoot over and pat the empty space on the bed next to me. "Get up here," I tell him. "I get lonely sometimes."

Tobias grins and crawls into the bed next to me. "Do you want a burger from the Pit?" he asks.

I shake my head. "Not hungry. Besides, I bet the Pit is closed for the night."

He laughs lightly. "At nine PM? Are you sure? This is Dauntless we're talking about. Besides, you haven't eaten for at least twelve hours." He gets up. "I'll get you a piece of cake as well."

"Oh, alright," I say, laughing. "If it's a really big piece."

Tobias kisses my cheek and heads out of the room.

I sigh in contentment and press a button next to my bed without even thinking twice. Alisa walks in a minute later, clipboard, of course, in hand.

"Hello Tris. Is there anything you need?"

I shake my head.

"I don't mean to be rude," she says. "But why am I here?"

I shrug. "I just need someone to talk to. Four's out getting me a burger, and I'm lonely." I ball my knees up to my chest.

"Tris, no!" she says. Alisa comes running up to me. "You've got to be careful with the bandages on your ribcage." She guides my legs back to the bed where they fall flat and tucks a piece of short hair out of my eyes and sighs exasperated. "I'm sorry," she whispers. "You're a really nice person and you don't deserve this."

"What? What's happened to me?" A tear slides down my cheek, but when I wipe it away, more fall.

"Oh, Tris," she whispers gently. "Don't you remember?"

I shake my head. "What are you talking about?"

She smiles sadly at me. "You and Four were coming home from Amity and got on the wrong train, so you jumped off, but ran into Eric..."

"No."

"Well," Alisa says. "I wish it weren't true either, but that's not the case: Eric attacked you, and that's why you're here. Listen, Tris, I'm really really really sorry. If there's anything I can do-"

"You can tell me what everyone is keeping from me," I say.

"What do you mean?"

"My baby...is it still in existence."

She lets out a breath of sharp air and looks down. "I'm really sorry," she starts slowly. "But I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know? Doesn't Doctor Everest tell you anything?"

"Oh, he does," she says dreamily. "But it's just too early to tell what state your baby is in now. We'll run some tests, and have it by the end of the-"

Then someone opens the door. Tobias rushes over to me. He places a plate with a burger and cake in my lap.

"We'll have it by the end of the week," Alisa tells me. She smiles at me. "Enjoy your burger." Then she leaves.

"What was she talking about?" Tobias asks.

"The news about if I had a miscarriage," I tell him. "You know, now that I think about it, I am pretty hungry."

Tobias laughs and kisses my forehead. "Eat," he commands.

"Yes, sir." I'm about to take a bite, when I look back to him. "Tobias, what really happened?"

"No one told you?"

"Oh, Alisa told me, and I trust her and all, but I'm not sure she's told me everything."

"What did she tell you?"

"Just that we had gotten on the wrong train and when we had jumped off, we saw..." I gulp. "Eric."

He nods solemnly. "And what do you remember?"

"You know, now that I think about it...I remember Eric. Th-the look on his face." I shudder. "It was so scary and real."

I take a bite of burger and chew and swallow slowly. I cast my gaze downward. "What happened after I passed out?"

Tobias doesn't answer for a while.

"Tobias," I ask, gentler this time. "What really happened?"

He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes, covering them with his hands. I wonder if he doesn't want to repeat what happened because he gets annoyed by so many people asking over and over and over again, or if he's embarrassed by his actions. I hope it's the first one.

"I brought you to the Factionless. I knew you wouldn't make it back to Dauntless, with your injury in that condition. I was hoping my mother could help...But she just wanted me to join them. They bandaged you up, but didn't want anything else to do with us if the only reason we came was to get you together." He swallows a breath he doesn't have. "Then I took you back here. The bleeding had stopped, but these people here in Dauntless fixed you right back up. They said you should be out by the end of the week."

I groan. "That long?"

Tobias smiles sadly. "Don't like it in the Infirmary much, do you?"

I shake my head. "Too many bad memories."

"Me neither." He turns away so I don't see his face. "I never liked the sharp nauseating smell radiating off of everything medical. My father used to take me here after he hurt me. His excuse was always the same: that I had tripped down the stairs or tripped on the pavement outside our house. No one questioned him because he was Marcus Eaton, the 'kind' and 'honourable' man that everyone believed him to be."

"T-Tobias?" I put my hand on his shoulder and pull slightly on it. When Tobias turns my way, he's crying. I wrap him in a hug, and for once, he hugs back. He sobs, quaking, into my hospital gown.

"I'm sorry," he sniffles, when he pulls away from me and wipes his nose with his sleeve.

"For what? You did nothing wrong."

He shakes his head. "I'm supposed to be the one protecting you, not the one who comes running to your side _after_ you are attacked with a knife-"

"That's not your fault," I say, but he ignores me.

"-and not the one who comes running to you crying. I'm supposed to be your husband."

"And you are," I add. "We _are_ married."

"If someone walked into this room, they certainly wouldn't think that."

I shrug. "Who cares? To us, we are married. To us, we _can_ cry to each other. I hid behind your back when Eric was still strolling around this place like no one's business after he'd raped me. And you trust me with your feelings about Marcus. Remember what you said to me last year, in initiation? Well, I do: "Becoming fearless isn't the point. That's impossible. It's learning how to control your fear, and how to be free from it." That's how life should be. And that's how life is. Remember, Tobias, you will never be fearless, but you will always be brave."

He doesn't respond.

Instead, he kisses me, so hard I feel like my ravens will fly away. But they don't. They just welcome Tobias. In the little space separating us, we explore each other's necks and faces and collarbones. Tobias' hands go to the buttons on the back of my nightgown, but I pull away before anything happens.

"I'm so sorry Tris," he apologizes.

My index finger flies to his lips. "Sssshhhh," I say. "One day, I'll be ready. But that will be in a while."

He nods. "I'm really really sorry-"

"Ssh," I repeat. "Just forget it. When we're both ready, neither of us will be sorry."

"I just can't stand the thought of losing you," he admits. "I can't stand the thought of losing you or being weak in front of you. There's a lot of things I regret Tris, but I don't regret loving you."

* * *

That night, Tobias sleeps next to me on the queen-sized hospital bed I lie in.

But that doesn't mean my dreams improve.

We kiss each other goodnight, and the next thing I know, I wake up next to Eric.

"Hey, baby," he moans. He starts kissing my neck, the way Tobias does, but fiercer, harsher, and much much scarier. "Come on," Eric growls. "Kiss me back."

I struggle against his arms, but his arms are no match for mine. He pins me down.

Then Tobias is next to me. He smiles kindly at me, then asks me how I am.

"Fine," I say suspiciously.

Tobias wraps me in a hug. Suddenly, my stomach feels weird. When I look down, there's a knife sticking out of it.

I try to scream, but someone presses forcefully on my mouth.

Marcus. He lets go of my mouth slowly. "If you scream," he says slowly. "I _will_ kill you." He takes off his belt and starts hitting me with it. I jerk back, but a wall bumps into me. I catch the belt in my hands and fling it right back at Marcus.

He disappears slowly, turning into Peter. He looks greedily at me. "Honey, that baby's gotta go. It's unflattering." When I look down to my stomach, nothing is there. I feel it, but it's stone cold.

I jolt up in bed.

Which causes Tobias to, too.

"What's up?" he asks tiredly. "Are alright?"

"Fine," I say dismissively. Maybe if I forget about the nightmare and tell no one, it'll go away.

Hopefully.

"Are you sure?" Tobias presses, "No nightmares?"

I shake my head. "But...there's one thing I remember. Something Eric told me."

"What's that?"

"That Peter keeps him updated on everything. Eric wanted to kill my baby, and if, once we find out if I've had a miscarriage or not, the baby lives on, Eric will probably order Peter to kill me. Well, my baby. And me." As soon as the words come out of my mouth, I know that Dauntless isn't safe anymore.

Nowhere, really, is for us.

Us. It sounds so definite: Tobias and I staying strong together through this, and the little being inside of me. Us. It's so powerful and positive.

And amazing.

It's something I never would have gotten if I'd stayed in Abnegation.


	20. Chapter 20

**Tris POV:**

"Tris," he says gently. "I can't help you if you won't talk to me."

I keep my stare at the ground, not bothering to look at Nelson.

"...Tris? At least let me help you."

"If you want to help me," I say after a while. "get Four."

Nelson shakes his head. "I can't help you there. Part of your counseling is telling your feelings to someone you wouldn't normally tell them to."

"What about-"

"And that includes Marlene," he reminds me. "I know she's a certified Dauntless counselor, but she told me you two were good friends. Besides, she already knows what happened and feels sorry for you. I'm here for you, and I know all your friends are too, but if you want me to sign your form so you can go back to work and your normal life, you've got to let me in."

I continue to stare at the ground.

"Tris," Nelson says, more firmly this time. "What's bothering you?"

I bite the inside of my cheek. "Nothing..."

"We both know that's not true. Now, come on. Let's here it. I've been doing this job for five years, and I promise you, whatever you say is not the worse I've heard."

I take a deep breath and close my eyes. "Today I find out if I had a miscarriage or not," I say, through clenched teeth.

Nelson smiles pitifully, but still, he asks, "Is that it?"

I don't answer.

"What else happened? Tris?"

"The father of my baby raped me and tried to kill me, and now he has a guy here in Dauntless who's job is to make sure that every evidence of the baby inside me is gone."

Nelson lets out a low whistle. Then he clears his throat. "How exactly do you feel about this?"

I shrug.

"Tris, I'm trying to help."

"I...I dunno. Angry. Annoyed. How could Eric do this? I finally felt like I had a place in this world when I got first place in initiation...then Eric just knocked me up and took away my pride, my self-esteem, and my sleep!"

Nelson smiles sadly again. But before he can say anything, I glare at him and snap, "I don't want your pity! I've gotten enough of it already!"

He lets out a breath of air. "This is good."

"How can you say that?! I'm a pregnant maniac!" A tear runs down my face, but I don't bother wiping away, for I know more will come.

And they do.

But Nelson doesn't notice. In fact, he just sighs. "You might not know this Tris, but this is good."

"You already say that."

"Because it's good for you to let your feelings out."He leans in closer to me and whispers, "Four might not want this, but would you like to go to the training room and throw some knives at a picture of Eric?"

I grin, for the first time in what feels like ages. "Of course."

* * *

"Well well well, Tris. Didn't expect to see you here at this time of day. Shouldn't you be cuddled up with Four, hiding from the world and all your fears like, say, oh, _me_?"

I don't even bother turning my head around. I know Peter's there, and if he really wants to talk to me, he'll walk with me.

And he does. Unfortunately.

"So Tris," he says next to me, shoving his hands in his pocket. He clears his throat, and runs his tongue over his teeth. Then he clicks his tongue against his teeth and passes more time by scratching his head awkwardly. "Eric isn't very happy with you."

I let out a small laugh. Yeah, it was a good idea to get these feelings out at counseling. "Oh is he now?"

"Yes he is," Peter says in a matter-of-fact way. "And when he isn't very happy, he makes my life just as miserable. And when I'm not happy, no one else is."

"Okay?" I respond to his self-centered statement like it's a question.

Peter stops walking and presses me up against the wall. "Okay?"

"Okay," I gasp. He's gotten me pressed up against the wall.

"Good." He lets go, and my knees buckle. I slide down to the ground. Peter squats down in front of me. He holds out his hand, and before I can put mine in it, he takes my hand and lugs me up. "You okay?"

"Yeah." I brush invisible dust off my pants to have something to do. "Why do you ask?"

Peter shrugs. He taps his foot.

It's annoying me too much. "Don't you have somewhere to be right now?"

"Just here."

"...And?" What he's telling me doesn't make any sense.

Peter takes a deep breath. He rubs his right eye with his right hand and shoves his hands in and out of his pockets, as if they're an unnecessary burden that he doesn't know where to put. He finally tucks them behind his back.

"Peter," I say, clearly annoyed. "Why are you here?"

He groans, as if it's the worst news in all of Chicago.

And it just might be.

But how bad can it be?

"It is pretty bad," Peter says, as if he's answering my prayers.

"I'm sorry?" Did I really just say my thoughts aloud?

Apparently, by the look on Peter's face.

We stand there awkwardly in silence for a few moments.

Then I decide that I've had enough of this silence, this awkwardness, this pain, this torture. "What do you want from me?" I blurt out.

Peter straightens his shirt. "I'm here on a mission from Eric-"

"Cut the crap," I hiss.

Peter smirks. "Gee, Stiff, what's gotten into you?"

"Tell me what you're doing here."

He holds up his hands in mock defence. "Okay, okay. Eric wants you dead is all."

"Pardon me?"

And with that, I finally see Peter's Candor side.

After about a half hour of walking around, Peter finally has to go. But before he walks off, he turns back to me. "What about your baby?"

I shrug. "If all goes well," I say. I look down at my left wrist. "In half an hour, we should know."

"Well, good luck with that." He turns around, then turns back once more to me. "Oh, and Stiff?"

"What?"

He punches my shoulder jokingly, but I have a feeling that there'll be a bruise there in the morning.

* * *

**Tobias POV:**

I scratch the back of my neck nervously. Max decided for me that I was too tired to go back to work, so he let me off at lunch.

Thank goodness for that.

I don't like people telling me what to do, but I suppose I'll let it go this time since I already made plans to run by the Control Room before Tris and I go to her doctor's appointment.

I dump my tray from lunch off and push open the doors of the Pit. Now's as good as ever to find out Eric's history. I make a left and head towards the Control Room.

"Zeke," I say when I get there. "It's your lunch break."

"My lunch just ended. I would remember because Shauna and I had a very lovely heated make-out session-"

"-Zeke-"

"-Which ended very poorly because I had to get back here-"

"-Zeke!" I shout.

He shuts up. "How can I help you Four?"

"Go take another break. I've got stuff to do here."

"No can do, Foury. I've got to work. It's Shauna's birthday in a month and I'm working really hard to get her this necklace she pointed out that she said looked nice the other , she said everything did, but this one's affordable. And as my mom always said, 'Get the one you both like,' I'll be doing just that."

"What if I gave you ten points for leaving me alone in here for ten minutes?"

"Done." He gets up and slides his chair over to me. "What exactly are you planning on doing?"

"Zeke, we both know you can't keep a crest."

"Come on, Four. Is this for Tris?"

I shake my head.

"We both know that's a lie. Now, come on, you can tell the big Z-dawg."

"Promise not to tell?"

"Four, I promised before you even came up with the secret."

"I'm looking for Eric's record."

"Let me help."

"No."

"Come on, Four. You search, and I do my job. I'll be your watchdog. Your guardian angel. Your personal spy. Your cover-"

"Fine."

"Really?"

"Yes. Now go, go back to your job before I rethink anything."

He goes back to watching the security cameras while I search through the files in the back of the room. "Brennan. Brewer. Bridges. Briggs. Bright," I mutter, "Brock. Brooks. Brown. Ah, here we go! Brown, Eric Brown."

Zeke calls me.

"What?"

"Do you want any popcorn? You know we've got a microwave and fridge here, right? Oh yeah, you worked here for three years. Or, if you'd rather have a microwaveable burrito..."

"I'm good."

I go back to looking at Eric's file:

_Brown, Eric._

_Age 21._

Twenty -one? Eric? He was in my initiate class, though no wonder he looks so old.

I keep reading.

_Faction born: Erudite_

_Faction chosen: Erudite._

What? Eric chose Dauntless.

Reason for faction chosen: prodigy of Jeanine Matthews; exceedingly well student.

_Note: Eric chose Erudite for many reasons. He has proven to be outstandingly successful, though has harassed two girls since he had chosen Dauntless. Both girls were severely traumatized and had to give up their babies-which were caused by Eric mistreating these girls' privacy-for adoption and take up full time treatment in Amity. For these reasons, Eric was expelled from Erudite at age 20 and given the option to pick another faction. He has since then lived in Dauntless._

Tris. That's the first thing I think of. Where is she now? Is she okay? Max needs to see this file. There should be a city trial-I can suggest it. Eric needs to be stopped.

"Hey," Zeke says, through a mouthful of popcorn. "Four, come take a look at this. You might want to see it."

I walk over to him. "What?"

He points to a screen.

I look closely into it, and see Tris looking upset. She's yelling at a certain guy-Peter.

Guess it's time to check out his file next...

* * *

**Tris POV:**

"Hello?" I push open the door to our apartment. Ever since I got discharged from the hospital yesterday, it's been strange falling back into my normal pattern of waking up to a nightmare back here, instead of in one of Amity's guest rooms or the hospital.

But it's still better than waking up in an unfamiliar place, not knowing if the hospital kicked Tobias out for staying out late or finding Robert outside our door when we want to take a midnight walk.

When I step foot into this familiar apartment, the first thing I see is Tobias. His smile doesn't reach his eyes, or even his tear-stained cheeks. But I appreciate the effort. "How was your day? How was Nelson?" he asks.

I shrug. It's been four days since I've woken up. My fourth day of intense counseling for two hours each day, and Nelson finally broke me. By getting me to throw knives at Eric's head. But what else do you expect? We're Dauntless. I half-expected Nelson to take me up to the old Hancock building and scream and curse out Eric after we threw knives and he watched me cry and shoot to the picture of Eric's head with a pistol, then, once I was out of bullets and too lazy to reload it, throw the gun poorly at the target board that Eric's head had been stapled to.

Tobias clears his throat and stands up. "Should we go?"

"Go where?"

He sighs. "Tris, look at the time. It's time for our appointment."

The way he says 'our' makes it sound as if it's not just mine. As if he's always there for me.

And he is.

When we get to Doctor Everest's office, Tobias takes my hand. "How are you?" he whispers.

I shrug. "Anxious. Nervous. Terrified."

He wraps me in a hug. "It's okay to look weak once in a while, Mrs. Eaton."

Mrs. Eaton. It has a nice ring to it, Mrs. Eaton. It keeps me attached to Tobias, and gives me a reason to cry onto his shoulder when I'm pained.

"Mister and Missus Eaton?" Alisa says.

I stick my tongue out at her as she guides us into a room with a table and screen, with a giant machine next to it.

"W-what's that for?" I stutter out.

Alisa sighs sweetly. "It's nothing to worry about, Tris."

But Tobias' grip on my hand tightens.

Then Doctor Everest walks in the room. "Hello Tris. Four. How are you two?"

I shrug.

Tobias answers for the both of us. "Fine. Can we get started now."

"Yes, of course. Tris, are you ready to see your baby?"

The way he says it tells me that mini Tris has survived.

But the next thing I know is something I'm not at all expecting.

* * *

**A big THANK YOU to White fox XD for the wonderful ideas and good luck on your story! I cannot wait to read it!**

**Everyone else: Nice epic plot and cliffhanger, right? Now I want to see what you think the results will be! What do you want to happen?**

**And if anyone is wondering why the h did Peter just appear (?!), well...in chapter 8, Eric mentioned that he did what he did because, for one, if he didn't do it, Peter would have beaten him to the punch and Peter is just one of those people that will do anything for Eric if he's bribed.**

**Another thing to think about: For those TFIOS fans out there, did you notice a particular 'okay' (no, more of a great one) quote in this chapter?**

**Be brave!**

**Happy Veteran's Day! And yes, I would say that Tris and Tobias and all of Dauntless are veterans from the war in Chicago. **

**:3**


	21. Chapter 21

**Tris POV:**

"How?"

The first words out of Tobias' mouth make me rethink what I see on the screen.

It takes Doctor Everest a moment to understand what Tobias said. "I'm sorry?"

"How?" Tobias repeats. "How is this possible?"

"Well, Eric's knife just missed the baby by a millimeter. If he had gone to the right a little more, the baby would not have survived. However, some brain damage was caused and your baby will not survive the first three years of life without intense care."

"What are you saying?" Tobias asks. He's paying more attention than me, probably because I feel like I'm going to pass out.

"I'm saying that I'm suggesting you take this child to Erudite."

"No," I state. It's plain and simple. Bad things happen in Erudite. They could use my baby for testing, and it's sure to be Divergent. That's a death sentence on it right there. And on top of all that, Eric could find out and take it. I hate to say it, by my baby will be better off without me-in Abnegation.

"Tris," Doctor Everest explains. "Let me explain. I heard you were thinking about putting this baby up for adoption, and this way it works out perfectly."

"No it doesn't. We were planning on bringing it to Abnegation, where it would be safe from everything else. This just makes it worse."

"How?"

"I don't want my baby to be a guinea pig. It doesn't deserve to be a lab rat, and unless it's in the right hands in Erudite, it will be treated like vermin." I stand up. "Four, let's go home. We've got a lot to think about."

Tobias opens the door for us, but before we can leave, Doctor Everest calls us back.

"What?" I ask irritably.

"Have you been having trouble sleeping?"

"No. I got the pills from Erudite last month. Goodbye." I say stately, then take Tobias' hand and walk right out of the hospital.

"There's only one way," Tobias says.

"For what?"

He opens the door to our apartment and smiles sadly at me. He slips his hand out of mine and places it on my cheek, drawing circles lightly with his fingertips. He kisses my forehead. I don't like pity, but there's not much I can do about it now. "There's only one way to make sure that baby's safe and secure."

"And what way is that?"

"Let Caleb take care of it."

* * *

**Alisa POV:**

"Owww! What was that for?!" Jim holds his cheek in pain. It's now turning pink.

"You know what that was for," I hiss. My hand stings, but I don't regret slapping the man in front of me.

"What?"

"How can you not feel bad for Tris? After all she's been through...and now you just tell her that her baby's best in Erudite?"

"It's the best place for the baby. It'll have a reasonable chance of surviving."

"That's it? That's all you have?"

"What more do you want?"

"I want to make sure Tris and the baby stay safe. That's what matters." Then I gasp.

"What?"

"I-I just remembered something."

"Well?" Jim looks on to me, anticipating something big.

"Eric," I stutter out. "I remember him from Erudite. Come on, we've got to go tell Max."

"Wait, wait, wait," Jim says to me. "Slow down. First off, our shifts don't end until seven. Second, what's so bad about what Eric did before he came here?"

"_First off_," I mock him. "We can get replacements. Christina can cover for me. Besides, she needs the points anyways. She's engaged and wants a huge wedding. _Second off_, follow me." I see cameras in the room, and I know it's not safe. Jim follows me out of the room and into the hallway where he first kissed me. "Eric's Jeanine Matthews' nephew. He totally sucked up to her. He was going to inherit Erudite when she retired, but something bad happened." I gasp. "My god. I cannot believe I missed this when he asked me out!"

"What?" Jim's expression turned dark.

"Eric..." I sigh. I dread talking about this, but I can trust Jim. Besides, this issue has to be brought to Max's attention and the only way we'll get it there is if people know. Max listens to Dauntless, and he prides himself in being a great leader. So I have to do this. "He raped two girls in Erudite."

"Alisa!"

"I'm not kidding, I swear. He did it to my older sister Holly, then a year later to Michelle. They were both sent to Amity for treatment, and no one knew what had happened until they grew baby bumps then were sent away. Then a girl named Cara-I think her brother's here in Dauntless now-came forward and said that she had seen Eric do it to Holly. Jeanine defended Eric, but the second time he did it, she told him that he could stay in Erudite and face the consequences or at the Choosing Ceremony that year, choose another faction. He chose Dauntless...and now we have Tris."

"That's terrible!" Jim says immediately. "Does Tris know? Does Max?"

"I have no idea if Tris knows, but I think Max only knows that Eric was a threat. And that he had hurt Tris. We've got to tell them now," I suggest, but it comes out sounding more like an order.

He shakes his head. "_I told you_, I've got to get back to work."

"Oh, come on. You're telling me that a sexual assaulter that's going around the city hurting innocent young women is not as important as Jenny?"

"How do you know who I have next?"

"We're partners in crime, remember? Besides, Jenny is fine. Her mom schedules appointments for her every week saying she has tuberculosis when it's always just a small cold. Now come on." I drop my clipboard and take his hand, swinging the door open and taking us out of the Infirmary.

Once we get substitutes and head to Max's office, my hand goes up to knock on his door. But before I can knock on it, it swings open.

"I thought I heard someone coming," Max says. "Ah, Alisa. Jim. Come in. Shift my junk and have a seat."

I take a stack of papers off a chair that's opposite Max's and sit down in it. Jim does the same.

"Now, how can I help you?"

"Eric," I blurt out without thinking twice. "He's got to be stopped."

"What do you mean?"

"What he did to Tris he's done to two other girls," Jim explains.

"I'm fully aware of that situation," Max says.

I stand up abruptly and slam my fist down on the desk in front of me. "Well why haven't you done anything to stop it? Tris doesn't deserve what she's going through, and what makes it even worse to me is that I know just what it's like. I know that when Eric takes over your life, sometimes you wish you'd shoot yourself. Tris is so brave for stepping forward and admitting that Eric took away her pride, esteem, freedom, and life-value. She's still got Four, but I swear to you Max, if you don't do anything to stop it, I know some powerful people who would be more than happy to stop you."

Max glowers at me. "First off, would you like to be Factionless, Alisa?"

I shake my head.

"Then sit your butt down."

I do.

"Second off...you really define our manifesto, don't you?"

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. 'We believe in the courage that drives one person to stand up for another.' And you certainly do. Well done. Consider yourself Head Midwife."

"Really?!"

Jim pats my shoulder as I bounce up and down in my seat.

"Yes," He says. Then he grumbles. "Now stop squealing before I take you to Amity."

"Thank you sir," I say quickly, then shut up.

"Back to business," Max says. "Alisa, Jim, this has been on my mind for a while. I've contemplated turning Eric into the city or just leaving him Factionless. Last week, all five of us Representatives from all the factions met. I brought this up, and yesterday, I was given word of the final decision: Eric is going to have an all-city trial next week. Anyone who wants to speak up from past experience with him can, and is encouraged to. Depending on the jury's vote, we will either let him go free, execute him, send him to Erudite for brain testing, or force him outside the city."

* * *

**Tobias POV:**

I know that once the words come out of myself, I'll be sleeping on the couch tonight. I know that once those words come out of my mouth, there's no going back.

Tris can think what she wants; it's not going to change anything. But it might, between us. It might make her hate me, but it also might let her know that she cares for me.

Once I say that Caleb is our best bet for keeping Tris' baby safe, I believe it even more.

And yet, I regret saying it.

And Tris does too. "How could you say that?!" She's crying and I've never seen her so mad. She glares at me and throws a pillow my way. When it misses me by far, she groans in frustration and cries harder.

"Tris, calm down."

"HOW COULD YOU SAY THAT?!"

"Tris, calm down and I'll explain myself."

But she's already out the door. It slams shut. I know she's either going to the Training Room or one of her friends' apartments. I know where she'll be, but she needs time to chill.

Around thirty minutes later, I walk out of our apartment, heading for the Training Room. When I get there, Tris is sitting down on the ground. One of her legs is drawn up close to her and the other one lays flat on the ground. When I walk up to her, the first thing I hear is her sniffling. She throws a knife and it hits the center of the target. The next ones are all bull's eyes. Then she throws another, and instead of it hitting the target, it bounces off the other knives and clatters to the ground.

"Aww, fudge," she says. She gets up to retrieve it, and when she walks back, she looks at me and gasps. "When did you get here?"

"Just a minute ago."

Tris runs up to me and jumps in my arms. "I know. You're right. I'm wrong. I just really don't want my baby in Erudite hands."

She sniffles into my shirt and eventually stops talking.

There's no need for words here.

Life may not be perfect, but for now, we've created our little own universe, and no one can destroy it.

That is, until Peter walks in.


End file.
